Back in the Summer of '01
by Kayte76
Summary: The summer before Lilly started high school was a turning point in Neptune. Decisions have consequences and they all must live with them. I'm rewriting history.
1. Veronica can't Surf

Vacation has officially started. As Logan walked out of the school, he scanned the courtyard for his friends. There was fun to be had. Sitting on the wall, Dick was telling everyone an animated story. Logan walked up to the group; as he got closer, he snuck up behind Veronica who was giggling at Dick's antics. Lilly and Duncan could easily see him approaching and became distracted from Dick's exuberance to watch what was about to unfold.

Logan knew this story; he'd been there. Just as Dick was reaching the climax, Logan grabbed Veronica around the waist. She screamed and tumbled off the wall into Logan's arms. The entire group fell into a fit of laughter at the sight of it. "Falling for me, Mars?"

Logan helped Veronica back onto the wall and climbed over it to sit beside her. She was still recovering from the fit of giggles she'd been having prior to Logan grabbing her. Logan bumped her shoulder with his. "You gonna be okay, V?"

"Yeah, just need to catch my breath. Ready for a fun filled summer, Lo?"

"Surfing, pool parties, and sleeping in. Of course I'm ready."

Lilly chose that moment to interrupt. "V, Carrie wants to hit the mall; let's go!"

Veronica went rigid next to Logan. It was at times like this that Logan got disgusted with Lilly's behavior. She knew how strict Veronica's dad was about knowing where she was all the time, but she kept trying to coax Veronica into doing something else. Always testing the boundaries to see what lines Veronica was willing to cross. Veronica didn't have parents like they did, who didn't care where they were or what they were up to. Logan was glad to be pulled from his thoughts by Veronica's annoyed tone. "Lilly, you know I can't go. I told Dad that we were going to the beach together. He's expecting to pick me up there. Isn't that why we were all meeting here?"

Lilly didn't seem fazed by Veronica's argument. As usual, she blew off anyone else's opinion. "Live a little, Veronica; we have all summer to hang at the beach."

Logan had heard enough. "You have all summer to go to the mall, Lilly," he spouted off, putting his arm across Veronica's shoulders.

Logan respected the relationship Veronica had with her dad. Mr. Mars truly cared about what was going on in Veronica's life. Logan had seen it first hand. He was envious of the interactions between Veronica and her dad. They spent time together doing things and talking. Mr. Mars always asked Veronica about her day and how things were going when something specific was happening. He even asked her friends about what was happening in their lives. Mr. Mars knew about Logan's interest in literature and that he loved reading. He would occasionally ask him what book was currently occupying his time. He's been to the Mars residence several times for meals, even helping them cook. Logan felt at home at their house. He felt safe, unjudged, and welcomed.

"Yo guys! Let's hit the beach, limo's waiting!" Duncan was yelling from the back of the limo, oblivious to his sister's current plans. Logan stood up, guiding Veronica with him towards the limo, leaving Lilly standing there. Logan followed Veronica's movements as she glanced back at Lilly with a half smile that never fully made it to her eyes. He was not going to let Lilly have her way. "Come on V, I told you I was going to make you a surfer this summer."

* * *

As everyone descended onto the beach, Cedrick unloaded the food and drinks from the trunk while Ben carried firewood to make the pit. Dick and Enbom were getting the surf boards off the racks and Cassidy was sticking them into the sand.

Veronica looked to Logan as she fanned her towel out. "Do you think Lilly's going to ditch us ALL summer?"

"I don't know V, but you can't let her boss you around. She has a tendency to get into trouble. You have enough problems at home. She is just going to make it worse."

"She seems so carefree about everything. Like she's going to take on the world."

Logan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "If she's not careful, the world is going to crush her."

Veronica sat on her towel removing her shorts and t-shirt showing off her tankini. Logan took off his t-shirt and cargo pants to reveal his swim trunks. Duncan came running over carrying a bottle of sunscreen. "V, can you help get my back? I'll get yours for you."

"Yeah, I'll help you, but I'm not going to need any. I'm wearing a wetsuit over this." Veronica took the bottle from Duncan and began applying it to his back and shoulders. When she was done, she used her towel to wipe off her hands.

Logan handed Veronica the backpack after taking his wetsuit out. "You not surfing, Donut?" Logan asked.

"No, Casey, Sean, and Luke want me to play volleyball with them against the girls. They need me to even it out against Madison, Shelly, Kimmie, and Meg. You guys could play too." Duncan offered.

Veronica looked as though she was considering it until Logan heard her respond. "No thanks, Logan promised to teach me how to surf." Duncan glanced out at the water where Dick, Cassidy, and Enbom were already surfing, then turned back to Logan and Veronica. "Okay, good luck, Veronica." He then got up and jogged over to the volleyball net that Ben had helped Cedrick put up.

Logan looked down at Veronica. "We could play volleyball with Duncan if you want. I have all summer to get you on a board." Logan knew Veronica liked Duncan. He didn't want her choosing to surf if she really wanted to spend time with him instead. Veronica gave him a genuine smile. "Don't be silly. If I wanted to play volleyball then I would have played volleyball." She zipped up her wet suit, grabbed his arm, and pulled him towards the surfboards. "Come on, Logan, it's time to teach me to surf."

* * *

Veronica thought she had done pretty well for her first day of surfing. Logan had been patient with her and the others didn't laugh when she continually fell off the board. Everyone was really encouraging; all the guys giving her tips as they sat waiting for the next wave. She had worked up to staying on the board for more than a few seconds and it felt amazing. She wanted to try to do it all on her own and Cassidy and Enbom finally convinced worrywart Logan to let her try. She made it up and was riding the wave...and then, suddenly, she wasn't. Veronica struggled under the water, trying to find the surface. She kept rolling around in the wave and her lead rope was tugging at her ankle.

* * *

Logan began to panic. Veronica wasn't coming up. He jumped off his board and started swimming but he wasn't close to her. Dick was headed back out. "I've got her, Lo!" he yelled from his board. He was a lot closer to her than Logan had been. Logan stopped and waited to see if Dick really had her. It felt like hours waiting to see them break the surface. Dick surfaced first, Veronica's head bobbing to the surface right after but Logan wasn't sure she was okay. She needed to be okay. He didn't know how he would handle it if she wasn't, not to mention how he would explain himself to Sheriff Mars. Logan swam toward them, relieved when he saw Veronica coughing and sputtering water. Dick clapped her on the back, then pushed her back onto her board. The rest of the group paddled over to make sure she was okay. Logan finally reached them and hung off the edge of Veronica's board, watching her continue to cough as she listened to Dick telling her how amazing she looked up there. "Next time, you'll ride it the whole way in, Ronnie."

"Hey V, you doing okay?" Logan asked in a shaky voice. He didn't even try to hide his concern. "That was some wipeout!" She looked tired. "Maybe we've surfed enough for today. You wanna head in and maybe join the others playing volleyball?"

Veronica frowned at him. "No, I wanna surf. I can do it, Logan. I need to try again."

Dick let out a chuckle. "Of course you can do it, V, come on, let's go at it again," he encouraged her. Logan just smiled and nodded his head. They paddled back out, Logan giving Veronica pointers about what went wrong the last time. She looked determined paddling out past the breakers.

Veronica stuck with it. They stayed out there for almost an hour before the surf died down and everyone came in. They all dried off and changed into warmer clothes before heading over to the bonfire that Ben was tending. Surfing had really given Logan an appetite so he was sure Veronica was famished. She could always out eat any of them. They had a table set up with all sorts of choices and, as Logan looked them over, his thoughts remained on Veronica. He noticed that a lot lately-how much he thought about her. She seemed to gravitate to the foremost parts of his mind. She'd been courageous out there today. If she kept this up, she'd be just as good as the rest of them by the end of the summer. She was a lot stronger than Lilly gave her credit for. If he could keep the Kanes' influence at bay, Veronica would be a force to be reckoned with.

A slap on his back distracted Logan; turning slightly, he came face to face with Duncan. "Hey."

"Hey, man, how was the game? Did the girls teach you guys a thing or two?" Ragging on Donut was becoming a favorite past time. Logan knew Veronica liked him and giving Duncan a hard time made Logan feel better about his own unrequited feelings for her.

"We didn't do too bad. They did end up winning but it was only by one point. How was surfing?" Even though Duncan asked, he didn't act like he cared what the response would be, instead turning away to pick at the food spread. Logan gave him the response he assumed Duncan wanted to hear.

"It was good. We got some nice waves tonight."

Still seeming distracted, Duncan responded, "That's cool, Logan." Gesturing to the plates, he added, "You really going to eat all that?"

Logan looked down at the two plates he had in front of him. He hadn't even realized he'd been filling them. Turning towards the bonfire, he ignored Duncan and started scanning for the petite blonde who had his full attention. She was watching Cassidy poke at the fire with a stick. They were talking but he seemed more engrossed with the fire than whatever Veronica was saying. Dick sat down beside Veronica and handed her a soda. As Logan got closer, he could hear Dick's booming voice.

"So, V, how was your first day on the waves?"

Her face lit up and Logan got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach; he could tell that she had loved it. He gave her that. When she began describing how it felt to be out on the water, she seemed just as excited about it as he always did. "It was amazing! Being up there, I started to get the feel of the water under my board; it felt like I was soaring. I am so glad Logan talked me into learning to surf." Logan couldn't wipe the smile off his face when he sat down on her other side. He reached out and handed Veronica the plate he'd made for her as she talked to Dick. She paused, gave him a grateful smile, and finished describing her feelings about surfing to Dick. Logan understood exactly what she was talking about. That exhilarated feeling was why he surfed.

* * *

They'd been enjoying the food, the fire, and each other's company when Lilly, Carrie, and Susan showed up. They had clearly had a good time at the mall and were all sporting new looks that the boys were thoroughly enjoying. Logan had to admit that they didn't leave much to the imagination. Lilly didn't seem to mind Sean's wandering hands, in fact, it appeared she was encouraging him.

Duncan walked over to Lilly and grabbed her arm angrily. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Chill out, Donut. This is my last summer before high school. I plan on enjoying it!" Lilly was flaunting everything she had, clearly enjoying the attention. Logan was glad Veronica chose to come with them instead of Lilly. He hated to imagine what she would have convinced Veronica to do if she'd gone to the mall. Logan thought for sure that all the fun was over when Lilly showed up but he was relieved when Lilly was more interested in the attention she was getting from the guys rather than monopolizing Veronica. However, his evening was instead spoiled by Sheriff Mars pulling his car into the parking spot beside the limousine. He knew it was getting late but he had hoped that Veronica's dad would get caught up on a case and be later than expected. He watched the older man make his way across the sand to them, his eyebrows raised at the sight of Lilly gyrating against Sean on the other side of the bonfire.

"Hey honey, you ready to head home?"

Veronica looked up at her dad and Logan saw her blush as she saw him looking at Lilly and Sean. Logan was sure her dad would have something to say about what he just witnessed. "Yeah Dad, my bag is in the limo." Turning back, Veronica waved to Duncan and the others on the opposite side of the bonfire and reached out, giving first Cassidy and then Dick a quick hug before wrapping her arms around Logan. "Thanks for today, Lo. I know my wipeout made you nervous but you let me keep trying anyway. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Logan savored the moment of having Veronica in his arms. This had turned out to be an amazing day. Logan tightened his grip on her. "Sure, I'll see you tomorrow, Veronica." He kissed the top of her head and released her. "Good night. Sweet Dreams." Veronica turned and followed her dad to the car, giving him a little wave and a smile over her shoulder as she went. _This is going to be the best summer!_ thought Logan as he watched her leave.


	2. Leave it to Weevil

Warning: This chapter contains content involving rape.

Lilly's behavior was getting out of control. Veronica couldn't deny that. She watched Lilly throwing herself at anyone who was willing to give her attention. They hadn't been at Logan's house for more than half an hour before Lilly had Sean and Luke fighting over her. The bikini she had on barely covered her and she was wearing high heels. Despite the problems her actions were causing, she showed no signs of regret. Instead, she seemed to thrive on it. Veronica wasn't sure what to do to get Lilly to understand that this wasn't the kind of attention she should be trying to provoke. As Veronica floated on the pineapple shaped inner tube, she thought about the conversation she had with her dad. Some of it was uncomfortable but she was glad her dad had been willing to hear her out.

* * *

When Veronica had returned home the night before, she was afraid that her father was going to call the Kanes, but he'd assured her that he didn't feel that it was his place to offer parenting advice. Her dad explained his concerns about what he'd seen at the bonfire and asked her to tell him about her afternoon.

Veronica shared that Lilly had wanted her to go to the mall, but she'd stuck to the original plan to go to the beach and learn how to surf. She was a little reluctant to talk about Dick having to save her so she watered it down and instead talked about how exhilarated she had felt gliding across the water on the board. She'd never felt anything like it. It was amazing.

Veronica reluctantly went on to explain that when they'd been eating and hanging out, Lilly, Carrie, and Susan showed up. The boys had been very intrigued by their provocative clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination. Veronica told her dad she was embarrassed for Lilly and the kind of attention the boys were giving her but she had no intention of cutting Lilly out of her life. They were best friends and Veronica would always be there for her, but she preferred the support and encouragement the boys gave her when she was learning how to surf.

* * *

Dick smirked as he watched Cassidy swim under Veronica's tube, slowly guiding her closer to the desired location. She was deep in thought and didn't even notice the threat headed her way. Dick was on the diving board, preparing to launch. If he hit the target just right, he was sure that the spray would land on the girls sitting in the lounge chairs. No one was paying any attention and he was pretty sure their plan had gone unnoticed until Dick felt the board move under him. Just as he turned around to see who it was, he saw a flash of Logan coming at him. The commotion got Veronica's attention and she kicked at Cassidy under the water just as Dick and Logan both went in. When they surfaced, Dick gave Logan a shove. "Logan, man. What's up with that? It would have been perfect."

"Dick, you were going to jump at V, you know I can't let that happen." Logan swam to the edge of the pool and shook the excess water from his hair.

Veronica, floating in the middle of the pool, gleefully praised Logan's heroics. "My hero!"

Dick explained the plan to Logan. "Dude, seriously, Cassidy had her right where I needed her. I hit the edge of the pineapple at an angle and she would have sprayed them all."

* * *

Logan looked over to where Dick had gestured. All lined up along the pool's edge, the girls were laying out on the lounge chairs napping. Logan grinned, impressed with Dick's planning. When he'd come out of the house and saw Veronica as prime target, he hadn't noticed the big picture. With the plan Dick laid out for him, V would have just enjoyed one heck of a ride. However, Dick's true targets would get a rude awakening. People didn't give Dick much credit, but when he put his mind to something, they would be amazed. Logan wished he'd come out of the house a few moments later than he had. "Sorry, man."

"Don't sweat it." Dick climbed out and flopped at the side of the pool next to where Logan was resting on the side. "You going to the party at Dog Beach tonight?"

"I don't know, Dick…" Logan wasn't sure he wanted to get caught up with the crowd he expected to see there. After last night, he didn't think Veronica would get permission to go to another party at the beach either, so he didn't see any reason to go. She hadn't gone into detail about her dad's reaction but he knew Veronica didn't want to aggravate the situation. He couldn't argue with Mr. Mars' decision; Lilly wasn't making the greatest choices. He didn't understand why she'd started seeking this kind of attention. She'd shown up today in a bikini with hardly any fabric. He couldn't deny the reaction his body had to the sight of her, but he felt guilty about it.

Logan caught sight of his dad as he appeared in the doorway of the house. He had a glass in his hand and chose to take the long way around the pool to walk past the sleeping girls on the deck, eyeing them as he headed towards Logan. "Son, are you having all your friends stay for a barbeque?"

"I hadn't thought about it. I don't want to cause extra work for Mrs. Navarro on such short notice." Logan paused as he tried to think of all the right things to say so he wouldn't set his dad off. It appeared he was in a good mood but that wasn't always the case. "There is this party at Dog Beach tonight. I thought maybe everyone planned to go there."

"Logan, a man in your position needs to think about these things. You can't expect Mrs. Navarro to guess what you're planning. Now get out of the pool and find out what your friends have planned for today so you can be the proper host." Aaron turned around and retraced his steps back to the house. Now irritated and looking for a distraction, Logan encouraged Veronica to assist Dick in his original plan. Logan grinned at the joy on Dick's face knowing he was going to get a second chance at his grand plan and just as Dick had predicted, the plan was a success. Everyone lounging by the pool ended up squealing in protest at being sprayed with a cold, fine mist. Cassidy sat on the steps of the lower end of the pool laughing and Logan gave Dick a high five.

* * *

Lilly used the Echolls' bathroom to freshen up before the beach party. She could put her skirt and button-down top on anywhere but she needed the mirror to make sure her makeup was still in place after Dick's prank. When she descended the stairs, Mr. Echolls was coming from the kitchen. "Well hello, Ms. Kane. It looks to me like you are enjoying your summer so far."

"Yes, Mr. Echolls, I plan to enjoy every moment of my summer. Seeing as I'll be starting high school in the fall, I think I need to have as much fun as possible before I buckle down with my studies." Logan's dad was kind of hot for an old guy. She wanted to practice her newfound flirting techniques on all types of men. She continued past him down the stairs as she headed out to the waiting limo. She noticed that he was checking her out as she purposely put an extra swing to hips. Satisfied with Mr. Echolls' reaction, Lilly put all of her attention toward the party. This was going to be the real kick off to summer. There would be a lot of people on the beach and Lilly wasn't planning to enter high school on the low end of the totem pole. She planned to be at the top. This party was going to get her noticed by the kids she needed to be associated with.

* * *

It was as if all of Neptune's student body had gathered in one place. Tents and coolers littered the beach. Dressed to impress, she had headed straight for the in crowd. Lilly had been having a great time. She was sure her name would get her to the inner circle but it was her new look and personality that would keep her there. She would move up in the ranks to queen of Neptune High in no time. The boys would want her and the girls would want to be her. Everything had been going as planned. She'd found a cute boy, put those newfound skills on display, and gotten his attention away from the older girl he'd been flirting with until he got a look at Lilly Kane. She'd had him eating out of the palm of her hand, just like Sean and Luke earlier today. Begging her for it. And she'd gone with him to his car, ready to make out a little, have some fun. It's not like she hadn't done that with Sean and Luke and Casey Gant earlier in the day. But this guy...he got a little handsier than she liked and she'd pushed him away...told him it was enough...but he wouldn't stop like the other boys had done. She'd slapped him, and he'd hit her back, more than once. Then he'd torn open her new shirt and pushed her skirt up. When he was done, he'd pulled her out of the car and headed back to the beach. "You coming?" he'd said, but he didn't even wait to see if she answered. Once he was gone, she'd slipped away from his car, afraid he would come back but,with nowhere to go, she'd curled into a ball between some cars, her clothes torn, her body battered and bruised. She was scared and her whole body ached. How could this happen? Tonight wasn't supposed to end like this.

She heard footsteps and huddled closer to one of the cars, hoping not to be noticed. She didn't want him coming back; she couldn't take any more. She was relieved when she realized it wasn't him. This guy didn't smell of expensive cologne. He approached her slowly. "Are you okay?" He was so gentle. He touched her face, then her shoulder, as if he wasn't sure how or where he could touch her. He began taking his shirt off. "Te tengo." He helped her lean forward, then slipped his shirt over her head and down her arms. "Facil." He picked her up and asked, "Who did this to you, Senorita?"

* * *

Weevil walked through the parking lot checking the locks of all the cars. Stupid 09ers who left their doors unlocked gave him ample opportunity to gain some prime merchandise. As he came around the back of a black Lexus, he saw a girl lying on the ground curled up in a ball shaking. He approached her slowly, not wanting to scare her. As he got closer, he could see she was in bad shape. He brushed the hair off her face and ran his hand over her shoulder. "I got you," he said in Spanish. He took off his shirt and helped her put it on to cover up. There wasn't much left of the shirt she was wearing. He tried getting her to tell him what happened but she just stared at him with lost, vacant eyes. Weevil carefully picked her up and carried her back the way he came.

* * *

When they arrived at the Navarro residence, Weevil was glad Abuela had already turned in for the night. He carried Lilly to his room and put her to bed. In the morning, he wasn't sure how he was going to explain a beaten and battered girl asleep in his bed. His only hope was that his grandmother would assume he planned to sleep the day away and wouldn't check on him before she left to play cards with her friends. He lay on his bedroom floor and watched Lilly Kane sleep. When he'd pushed the hair away from her face and recognized the Kane heiress, he was worried what people would think if they saw him with her in that condition. He hoped that she knew who'd done this to her but he couldn't take that chance. That fear motivated him to carry her the whole way home. As he lay on the floor, lost in thought, he saw movement, then heard her cry out. He sat up and crawled over to her. He didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was. He gently touched her arm to wake her. She woke with a start and scrambled away from him against the wall. "Where am I?" she stuttered out. "Who are you?"

"You're okay, I promise. You're at my house, in my room, on my bed. I carried you here after I found you at the beach." Weevil sat back on his heels, wanting to keep his distance. She seemed like a trapped animal, and he didn't want to make her lash out.

"I vaguely remember that. And my second question?" Her voice gained confidence as he kept his respectful distance.

"Eli Navarro. People call me Weevil. Do you know who did this to you?"

"Yeah, I kinda do." She looked down at her hands and got quiet for a second. Then, she suddenly looked up, nervous and scared. "You can't tell anyone."

"Hey, I'm not going to say a word. Can I do anything?" Weevil didn't want to be involved anymore than she wanted him to be.

Lilly gave him a shy smile. "I could use a shower and maybe something to wear home."

Weevil smiled back. "I can handle that."

* * *

Letty had left Weevil a note saying he would have to fend for himself today. The Echolls were having a party and she was headed over there after her luncheon. This worked to his advantage. While Lilly used the shower and changed into the clothes he got out for her, he made them something to eat. His abuela had spent a lot of time teaching him how to cook. He actually loved it. He'd just finished making the waffles when Lilly came out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet and she looked adorable in his clothes. "Feeling better?" The marks on her could hardly be seen. She shouldn't have a problem hiding them with makeup if she wanted to.

* * *

"Yeah, I'm still sore but I'll live." Lilly looked at the display in front of her, curious. "Did you make those yourself? They smell amazing."

Weevil blushed, looking embarrassed. "Yeah, my abuela taught me." He handed her a plate and dished out the waffles between them.

Lilly felt better after her shower. For some reason, she was comfortable with Weevil and she started to relax as she ate her breakfast. She really just wanted to forget about what had happened to her. It wasn't going to do any good stirring the pot amongst the 09ers. Personal agendas would cause people to take sides. She didn't want to start high school at the center of a backbiting campaign. When she looked in the mirror, she knew she could cover up the marks with makeup until they healed. She worried a little that Veronica would notice something so she would need to be extra careful around her.

Weevil's waffles were delicious. She hadn't realized just how hungry she'd been until she was looking for more to fill her empty plate. She opted instead for grabbing some fruit from a bowl on the table. He asked if she wanted to call someone to go home, but she really wasn't up to facing anyone right now. Weevil already knew what had happened to her so she didn't have to hide how badly she was hurting around him. Instead she asked if she could stick around for awhile, maybe they could watch a movie.

He looked surprised, but seemed happy to have her hang out. "Yeah, it's okay. I wasn't sure if you wanted to stick around here. No one is supposed to be home for a while so you can stay as long as you want."

They watched a couple of movies, side-by-side on the couch, not talking much. Weevil's cousin came home later in the day and offered to take Lilly home. She was too nervous going with him alone so Weevil rode along.

When they pulled up to the gate, Weevil helped Lilly out of the car. "Take care, chica," he said with a gentle smile.

"I will. Thanks. For everything." Lilly leaned in and brushed a kiss on his cheek before running for the front door. She was thankful to find that no one seemed to be home. Lilly went straight to her room, curled up on her bed, and cried herself into a restless sleep.


	3. UnHappy go Logan

Warning: This chapter contains content involving violence/abuse

Logan was glad he'd chosen not to attend the beach party. Dick and Cassidy had begged him to go, but he just didn't feel into it. When he'd come down for dinner, his mother said that she was dropping him off at the Mars' for the night. She and his dad had a last minute meeting for an upcoming movie tour and they wouldn't be home until late. She reminded him that they were having a party the following day and he needed to try not to do anything to upset his dad. She'd joked that an evening with Keith Mars would keep him on his best behavior but he wasn't sure she was entirely joking.

When he arrived at the house, Veronica and her dad were making homemade pizza for dinner.

It smelled delicious and, since they knew he was coming, they'd made a personalized pizza just for him too. As they waited for the pizzas to come out of the oven, Veronica and Logan told her dad about Dick's prank earlier that day.

"You should've seen it, Mr. Mars. Dick had Cassidy float Veronica out to just the right spot and when he hit the edge of the inner tube, he doused everyone on the edge of the pool. The girls were all squealing and yelling at Dick. It was hilarious."

"Yeah Dad, it was like riding the rapids. I had the best seat in the house." Veronica was giggling.

At that very moment, the front door opened and Veronica's mom stumbled through the door. Veronica's giggles stopped abruptly as Mr. Mars stood up to meet his wife at the door. He took her purse and coat, then hung them on the hook by the door and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Kids, I'll be back with you in a minute. Don't eat my pizza." Veronica's dad had a hushed conversation with his wife as he walked with her up the stairs.

* * *

After dinner, Veronica grabbed her laptop and joined Logan on the couch, where he'd been reading a book as he waited for her to return from taking the dog out. They were sitting in companionable silence when Mr. Mars entered the room and sat in the chair closest to Logan. Out of the corner of his eye, Logan could see Mr. Mars watching them. When Logan looked up, Mr. Mars asked Logan what he was reading. "It's the new book from _A Series of Unfortunate Events_ , _The Vile Village_."

"That's the one you were waiting for, isn't it?" Logan nodded. "How is it?" Logan closed the book on his lap, keeping his thumb on the page he had been reading.

"So far, so good. I'll let you know when I get further into it. Are you reading anything right now, Mr. Mars?"

" _1st to Die_ by James Patterson. It's about women solving murders." Logan could tell Mr. Mars' light small talk was forced from the strained look he had on his face. Mr. Mars wore that look a lot lately. He was really worried about Mrs. Mars' drinking. They all were; they just didn't talk about it. Since she'd come home, Mr. Mars had checked on her several times. Logan assumed she was passed out for the night.

The ringing phone interrupted their brief exchange. It was obvious that it was his mom calling from the way Mr. Mars kept glancing back at him with sad eyes. That was never a good sign. She was probably making some excuse for why he couldn't come home tonight but Logan knew the truth. His dad was in a bad mood and it was best if he wasn't around to irritate him. Logan often wondered if Mr. Mars suspected anything but he never showed any signs of it so Logan chose to think that he didn't. He was sure though that if Mr. Mars knew how much trouble Logan caused at home, he wouldn't let him spend so much time with Veronica. As he realized this fact, Logan felt his good mood from the evening draining away.

* * *

Veronica knew something was going on; Logan's whole demeanor had changed. Trying to distract him from whatever was bothering him, she asked Logan if he wanted to play a game. She had been surfing online the other night and found Charmed trivia. He agreed to play without asking any questions and Veronica jumped at the chance to spend the rest of their evening teasing Logan about Alyssa Milano. "In the episode about the deadly sins, Phoebe is infected with which sin?"

"Veronica..." Logan whined. "Are we really going to play this game?" Veronica struggled not to laugh at him. "Either you know it or you don't, Logan."

"Oh, I know it. I just don't understand why you have to torment me about it." Logan fiddled with the edge of his shorts.

Veronica worked hard to keep a straight face. "I don't know what you're talking about. It's just a random trivia question."

"Lust, Veronica, she's infected with lust." Logan blurted out the answer and Veronica burst into a fit of laughter.

"Veronica! Can you quiet down a little? Your mom's sleeping." Her dad came in the room, looking tired. He clearly wasn't in a good mood any longer either. "Logan, you need to spend the night. Something came up and your parents are staying in LA tonight. I'm going to drop you off tomorrow on my way to work. I'm headed up to bed but I'll set up the guest room for you. Don't stay up too late, you two." With that, her dad turned out of the room and she watched as he climbed up the stairs, looking as if he had aged ten years in the last few minutes.

"I wonder what that was all about?" Veronica looked at Logan with sad eyes. She just wanted everyone she cared about to be happy. It didn't feel that way anymore. Her mom was passed out drunk. Logan had a look of despair on his face and her dad was clearly exhausted by the day's events. She was relieved when Logan gave her a small smile.

"It's been a long day, V. Maybe we should just call it a night too."

"It's only 8:30 PM, Logan. It's summer vacation. Can we at least watch a movie before we go to bed? No more games. We don't even have to talk. Please?" Veronica really wasn't ready for the night to end. If she went to bed now, she knew she'd just end up sulking in bed thinking about all the things everyone avoided talking about. She wasn't stupid. She knew Logan's home had as many problems as hers did.

His smiled widened. "Yeah, sure. What do you wanna watch?"

Veronica couldn't help returning his smile. She always could count on Logan. She tilted her head at him and raised her eyebrows and he stood up from the couch to walk to the entertainment center. "I know, I know." He started the movie and sat down on the couch next to her as the beginning of South Park played.

* * *

Logan was in a great mood when Mr. Mars dropped him at home the following day. Despite the irritable mood he'd gotten into worrying about his messed-up life, curling up with Veronica on the couch, laughing at South Park, made everything feel better. At least for a little while. He didn't know when his parents were coming back from LA so he went straight to his room to finish his book and enjoy the quiet before the storm. A few hours passed and Logan snuck down into the kitchen to see what Mrs. Navarro had made for lunch. When Mr. Mars woke him up, he'd been in a hurry so they'd stopped for bagels and coffee on the way to his house but that hadn't been enough to last him until the dinner party.

"Mr. Logan, I'm very busy but there's a sandwich and a fruit salad in the fridge for you. Sit at the table and eat. I expect your parents to be home shortly. When you're finished, please stay in your room until your Mama comes for you."

Logan knew what the tone in her voice meant. "Okay, Mrs. Navarro." They were in damage control mode. Logan tried to think of what might have happened to put them in this predicament. He'd been on his best behavior. He was sure of it.

Logan washed his dishes for Mrs. Navarro, then returned to his room. After finishing his book, he assumed his parents still weren't home so he started playing video games. Mrs. Navarro always had his best interests at heart so if she said to stay in his room, he would stay in his room. He hated this part. It was better to just get the drama over with and deal with the pain rather than waiting for the unknown.

There was a knock on Logan's door. He instantly tensed up, then took a few breaths to calm himself down before answering. "Come in." Logan busied himself with the video game, hoping his casual behavior would defuse the situation and keep him out of trouble. He glanced at his visitor, expecting to see his mom, but instead Dick was standing there with Cassidy.

"What are you guys doing here?" He had expected his mom to summon him for his dad. He couldn't have company when they got back, it would just make things worse. "You can't be here, guys, my parents have this party tonight."

Cassidy spoke first. "We get it, man, your parents are cool. Your dad let us in. He said we just had to make it quick." Logan didn't understand; he'd been waiting for explicit instructions on how he was to represent the Echolls name this evening. Receiving reminders to ensure he acted in the best interest of his father's career. He wondered how long his parents had been home?

"Yeah, okay, so what's so important? " Logan wanted them out as quickly as possible. Anything Cassidy or Dick did during this crucial time, Logan knew that _he_ would be the one who would be taught the lesson.

"Cas and I were at dinner last night with our dad and his new girlfriend. So we could get to know our new future 'step-mom'." Dick used air quotes to emphasis the new title. "We saw something we probably weren't supposed to see." The brothers looked at each other.

Cassidy spoke up, ripping off the band aid. "Veronica's mom was having a romantic dinner with Mr. Kane." Logan was shocked. Of all the things that these two could be telling him, this wasn't something he would have ever guessed.

"How do you know it was a romantic dinner? Maybe it was just dinner," Logan questioned.

"Just dinner doesn't usually include holding hands and making out," Dick stated.

Logan was dumbfounded. "No, it doesn't. But, what are we supposed to do? Do we tell Veronica?" All three boys just looked at each other, no one sure of the answer to that question. "Later, guys, we're gonna have to figure this out later. Just keep this between us for now, okay?" Logan ushered them out of his room, worried about Veronica, but right now, he had to play the good son.

Shortly after Dick and Cassidy left, his mom came to get him. She asked how his night at the Mars' had gone and suggested the clothes he should wear for the evening. Logan tried asking his mom what he'd done to agitate his dad but she assured him not to worry about it, between Mrs. Navarro and herself, they had distracted him enough to subdue the issue. He was glad he had the sense to listen to Mrs. Navarro and had stayed in his room all day.

* * *

The dinner party, so far, had been a success. His dad was in good spirits and Logan had made himself available when he needed to. He finally felt like he just might get through this day without incident. As Logan walked around the pool, past the food bar, smiling and nodding to his parents' guests, someone bumped into him. Unable to catch his balance, he tumbled into the pool with a splash. He surfaced, sputtering, and looked up to see his dad glaring down at him. That was not a good sign.

"Logan, you destroyed the food. It's doused in pool water. What are our guests going to eat now?"

He'd spent the entire day tip toeing around and walking on eggshells for nothing. He'd let his guard down for a split second and everything was ruined. He climbed out of the pool silently and walked into the house to change clothes. He saw the worried look on Mrs. Navarro's face as she threw food into the garbage cans and he felt sick. She did what she could to protect him and he let her down.

* * *

Logan didn't return to the party. Instead he curled up on his bed and wondered if he would ever get things right. Why did he always end up causing so much trouble? It felt like bad luck followed him, waiting for the right moment to reach maximum carnage. He knew what would come next. It was inevitable. No matter how hard his mom or Mrs. Navarro worked to keep it from happening, he always found a way to screw it up without even trying. Logan heard the door to his room open. He didn't roll over to see who was there; he knew.

"Logan, go to my closet and then meet me in my office."

Logan took a deep breath and let it out shakily. He got up reluctantly and headed down the hall to the master bedroom where he opened the narrow closet revealing belts made of different materials. He ran his hand down the length of the last one he'd picked. The black leather hurt more than he'd thought it would. He wasn't going for that one again. He reached back to the next one. It was wider so he hoped the distribution of the blow wouldn't hurt as much. Logan pulled it off the hook, wrapped it around his hand and closed the door. He was in no hurry to get to the office. He took his time walking down the hall. When he looked up, his mother was sitting on the bench under the window with a drink in her hand. She looked at him sadly but didn't say a word.

Logan moved past his mother and knocked on the office door. Aaron jerked the door open and said with a sneer, "You can't help yourself, can you? Why can't you stay out of trouble?" Logan hung his head in shame and headed into the office.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Veronica, Logan isn't feeling well. I don't think he should be swimming around in the ocean today. Maybe tomorrow, dear." Logan sat at the breakfast table and listened to his mother lie to Veronica about why they couldn't hang out today. Truthfully, he was pretty sure that being around his friends would make him feel better than hiding out in this house but he didn't think he had a lot of choice in the matter.

"Come on, Mom, can't I just go hang out with them? I'll sit on the beach and watch them surf or maybe we could just go to the boardwalk."

"I don't think that is a good idea. You need time to heal a bit first. It's one day, Logan." Logan sulked at the table but he knew it was his own fault that he was in this situation. He screwed everything up. And it might be better not to be around Veronica right now anyway. Dick and Cassidy were so sure of what they saw and Logan wasn't sure he could keep this kind of secret from her. They had to figure out what they were going to do. Mrs. Mars and Mr. Kane? How did that happen?


	4. Show me the Monkeys

Dick and Cassidy sat on Veronica's couch watching cartoons and eating cereal while she talked to Mrs. Echolls. They had plans to hit the beach for more surfing today but Logan hadn't shown up yet. It had been a few days since they'd all hung out together. They waited around for half an hour before Veronica got tired of the brothers' antics and called him.

"Mrs. Echolls said that Logan doesn't feel well and she doesn't want him swimming around in the ocean. We're on our own."

Dick stood up with his empty bowl in hand and headed to the kitchen. "Off to pick up Lils and Donut then?"

"I guess. Let's go." Veronica was a bit surprised at how disappointed she was that Logan wasn't going to be there today. She told herself it was because he wouldn't be able to teach her more surfing, but that argument wasn't really holding up since Dick and the others could show her. She didn't want to analyze her feelings so she grabbed her bag and headed for the limo waiting outside.

* * *

As they pulled up to the Kanes, Veronica noticed a green Chevy sitting across the street. It didn't seem to belong there and she found herself watching it. They pulled into the gate and Cassidy rolled down the window just as she saw Duncan run out of the house carrying his beach bag and board. Cedrick opened the door for him, took his board and strapped it to the top of the car. "Hey Donut, where's Lilly?" Veronica wanted to ask how the party had gone. She'd tried calling her a few times but never seemed to be able to reach her.

"She isn't feeling well. She's had herself locked in her room for days." Veronica was sure Duncan was being overly dramatic.

"I'm going to go make sure you two aren't fighting and you aren't trying to leave without her."

Veronica sprinted towards the Kane residence and let herself in. As she approached Lilly's door, she thought she heard talking. She dismissed it and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Lilly's voice sounded rough and deep.

"It's me, Veronica. Duncan said you don't want to come to the beach, but I'm here to make sure he isn't just trying to leave without you." Veronica waited for Lilly to open the door. Just when she was starting to think she wasn't going to, the knob turned.

"I'm sorry, V. I don't feel up to the beach today. I'm just gonna stay in bed." Lilly looked miserable. Her hair was tied up on top of her head and she was wrapped in the comforter from her bed. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked pale.

"It's okay Lils, I'll call later and maybe we can have a slumber party." Veronica gave Lilly a small smile. "Go on back to bed. I'll catch you later." Veronica leaned in to give her air kisses on each cheek but Lilly jerked away from her.

"Sorry, V. I'll call you later." Veronica pulled a quick smile and then turned to walk down the hall back outside to the guys waiting for her. As she walked across the driveway pondering the strange reaction Lilly had towards her, Veronica noticed someone run across the street and get into the green car. As Cedrick held the car door for her, she watched it drive away.

"I told you!" Duncan bellowed at her as she climbed in.

"Hey, history shows that I had a valid reason to question your motives, but yes, you were right. Lilly confirmed that she doesn't feel well. So, let's go surfing." Veronica sat beside Dick, looking out the window to see if she could tell where the green car could be going. She heard Dick talking and turned her attention back towards the group in the car.

"Do you think Lilly and Logan got some action since both of them are feeling under the weather?"

Of course, Dick chose this moment to say something dumb. Veronica didn't like the feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Shut up Dick!"

"Swapping spit spreads germs." Dick shrugged. She gave Dick the evil eye and moved to sit next to Cassidy. Veronica wasn't feeling well anymore either. She didn't enjoy the direction this conversation had taken. Logan never seemed to have an interest in Lilly; what did they possibly have in common? But that was before she had her high school makeover. Maybe Dick was right. Maybe Logan and Lilly...Nope! Not thinking about it.

* * *

They pulled in at the beach and they all got out. Veronica scanned the area and found Sean and Luke talking to a group of people. Dick's words rang in her ears. "Swapping spit spreads germs," but here these two were, healthy as can be. Veronica couldn't stop her beaming smile. She walked up to Dick and slapped him in the back of the head. "Looks like your theory holds no water, Dick. Lilly's toys look plenty healthy to me."

"Maybe Logan gave it to Lilly, Ronnie." Veronica felt nauseous. She knew her sudden feeling of distress showed on her face because Dick put his arm around her. "Hey, you okay?"

She didn't know what was going on. These feelings were confusing her. She knew Dick was just joking around but as they walked down the beach, she asked, "Logan doesn't have a thing for Lilly, does he?"

Dick started laughing. "Nah, I'm just messing with ya. Lilly is definitely not on his radar. She isn't the tiny blonde he can't stop talking about...Yo Donut, we hittin' the surf or what?" As Veronica stood watching Dick intercept Duncan catching Luke's football pass, she was relieved that Dick had told her honestly that he didn't think Logan liked Lilly, but what blonde did he like? Veronica looked over the beach. She saw Madison and Shelley applying lotion to their already tan arms and legs. Farther away, she could see Kimmie and Pam playing frisbee. Meg was sitting on a blanket under an umbrella reading a book. She frowned, realizing that the beach was full of girls for Logan's choosing and many were blonde.

Her worries were interrupted when Duncan chose that moment to tackle Dick right at Veronica's feet. She looked down at the bumbling two rolling around in the sand and couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle. "All right boys, who's going to stand in as my surfing coach? I'm ready to hit the waves." Solving the mystery of Logan's mysterious blonde would have to wait for another day.

* * *

It felt good to be back out surfing. She was shaky at first, but she felt more confident every time she managed to get up on the board again. Dick reminded her how to stand and maneuver and Duncan was always there to hold her board steady whenever she fell off. She was having fun but it wasn't the same as the last time. Veronica realized that without Logan there, she felt more on her own. The other guys gave her pointers and encouraged her while she was surfing, but they spent a lot more time goofing around in the water than helping her surf. Last time, it seemed like all of Logan's attention was on her. It was probably because she was just a beginner. She paddled out again, but instead of looking for the next wave, she decided to take a break. As she floated on her board, feet dangling in the water, she watched the guys fooling around. Cassidy and Enbom were balancing on their boards doing flips into the water. Dick was splashing Luke for some comment he'd made that Veronica couldn't hear over the roar of the surf. As Veronica continued to look around, she noticed Duncan floating nearby, hanging off his board with his arms crossed on top of it, his tilted head resting against them. She noticed with some discomfort that he'd been watching her.

"What?" She shifted her attention from the others to Duncan.

"Nothing, I'm just trying to figure you out." The look he was giving her was unnerving.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she watched him push off his board and swim toward her.

"I just don't get why you'd want to be out here with us, doing this—" he swept his arm towards the others "—when you could be with the girls sunbathing on the beach." Veronica's grin suddenly left her face. She didn't understand what he was getting at but before she could question him, he continued. "Last time, I just assumed you lost some bet with Logan and the ante was having to learn to surf. But here you are, out here surfing with us. You're not trying to impress anyone, are you?" Duncan hoisted himself onto her board, straddling it to face her. She leaned back away from him, moving her hands away from his and nervously rubbing water over her wetsuit-clad thighs. Lilly always told her that she thought Duncan liked her. She always talked about how they would eventually be sisters when Veronica married Duncan. Veronica wasn't so sure that she agreed, but she hadn't negated the idea either. Duncan was nice and all. He was kind to her. The truth was, they really didn't seem to have many shared interests. They had fun hanging out but they never spent any real time together. To be honest, she really didn't feel like that about Duncan and sitting here on her board with him made her feel uncomfortable.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Duncan. Logan asked me if I wanted to learn to surf. He always talks about how much he thought I would love it." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm actually glad he got me out on the water; I do love it. It's amazing." She noticed the look on Duncan's face. He seemed disappointed but she wasn't sure why he would be upset about her loving to surf. Her stomach growled and she got a sheepish smile on her face. "Guess it's lunch time."

He slid off her board, clinging one-handed to it for a moment. "I guess," he replied, then he swam back to his board and caught a wave into shore.

Veronica looked back at the others who were doing back flips off their boards. The waves had subsided a bit and they had clearly found alternate entertainment. "Hey Dick!"

"Yeah, Ronnie?"

Her stomach growled again, "Wanna head in for lunch?"

Dick paddled over to her. "Tapeworm hungry?" he asked, laughing at his reference to Logan's theory on Veronica's appetite, then turned toward the others. "Hey guys, ready for lunch?"

A chorus of agreement barraged him and everyone paddled for shore.

* * *

After they hit the coolers for various sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, and drinks, they spread across the sand to eat. Dick ate all his grapes and, when trying to steal some from Veronica's plate resulted in getting his hand slapped, he asked Shelley to share hers.

"You want grapes, open up," she answered and began to pelt grapes at him. He ducked and bobbed, trying to catch them in his mouth to the great enjoyment of the whole gang. Veronica was not surprised that the big goof was doing really well.

Cassidy and Sean tossed grapes in the air, engaged in their own contest to see who could catch the most in their mouths. That lasted until Cassidy took one in the eye. Not wanting to be left out of showing off his own talent, Casey collected a couple of oranges. "Check this out." He stood in the middle of the circle and juggled them. Veronica couldn't help but be amused. It was as if she had her own little circus performance.

Veronica felt a bit melancholy at the thought that Lilly and Logan were missing out on this. She sat back, ate her sandwich, took a drink of her soda, and noticed Madison stealing food from Sean's plate while he was distracted by Cassidy whining about his eye.

"So Cassidy's blinded himself;next, one of them will choke." Duncan's voice invaded her senses. Clearly he had been watching the circus performers while her attention had been on Madison.

"Yeah, I guess," she responded as he sat down beside her. She gave him a weak smile.

Before lunch, they'd decided to have a sandcastle contest. They would pair up and Cedrick was nominated as their judge to see which team could build the best castle in two hours. They had been pairing off ever since.

"It seems everyone else has a partner, care to be mine?" Duncan asked.

"Sure, why not. What should it look like?" Without Logan here, Duncan was as good of a partner for building a sandcastle as anyone. They all grew up building them; years of practice had made them more elaborate. They spent some time deciding how it should look but once they had a plan, the conversation seemed to stall again. She tried thinking of something else for them to talk about but nothing came to mind. They sat there in an uncomfortable silence until, unable to take the awkwardness anymore, Veronica focused back on the food.

"Whatcha got there?" She looked at Duncan's plate and reached for a carrot stick but he pulled his plate away. A deep v formed between his eyes.

"Don't you have enough food on your own plate?" he asked with pursed lips.

Veronica looked down at her plate resting on her blanket. She had an array of fruits and veggies but she didn't have any more carrots. "Not carrots," she said with a frown.

"Well, there's a lot of other stuff over there you can pick from," he said, gesturing back toward the trays of food. Veronica looked down at her plate and picked up a slice of yellow pepper before turning her attention back to her other friends. She ignored Duncan as she nibbled on her food. She wasn't so sure she wanted to partner up with him anymore, but she couldn't think of any way to get someone to switch with her. When she finished eating, she cleaned up and told Duncan she would meet him down by the water when he was ready.

* * *

While she had waited for him to join her she had traced the outline with a stick she had found and began digging it out. Duncan had brought down a set of silverware for each of them as well as shovels and buckets. They worked well together building the sandcastle. When it was all said and done, they'd built a pretty decent sandcastle with a moat and drawbridge. Veronica was so confused. Duncan could be so nice and thoughtful at times, like now and when they were surfing earlier. Yet other times, like at lunch, he acted like he didn't get her at all. As if they weren't even friends. Today had been fun, but she was ready to go home.

Veronica saw Cassidy walk up to the car and she took off after him to catch up, "Hey Cas, do you know where your brother is? I'm ready to go and I was wondering if you guys were ready?

Cassidy scanned the beach behind her. "Um, I haven't seen him for awhile. I'm ready if he is."

Veronica turned back towards the beach looking for Dick. She didn't see him anywhere. She was about to go sit on the curb in front of the car to wait when Cassidy called for her. "He's already here, V, come on, let's go."

Veronica turned back. "Oh, do we have to get Duncan?"

"No, he's spending the night at Casey's. Come on." Veronica walked back to get in the car, relieved to not have to spend more time with Duncan. _Maybe the planets are finally aligning._


	5. Ahoy Mateys

"Logan, my man, you seriously missed out. What was your deal yesterday?"

Dick and Cassidy had shown up just after breakfast to discuss what they were going to do about Veronica's mom having an affair with Duncan's dad. They had planned to go sailing with Veronica later but that wasn't for a couple of hours. Logan sat on the lounge by the pool, trying to be careful of his back. He wore layers under a dark colored shirt to protect it.

"I dunno, I told my mom I would be fine, but she started in on not wanting me to catch pneumonia or something. It's not like anything I could say was going to change her mind. I sat around playing video games and watched TV all day. So boring." He squirmed uncomfortably and pulled on his shirt sleeves. "So, tell me what I missed."

"It was all good. Veronica's getting pretty confident on her board, man. You'd of been proud. She stayed out there til the tapeworm forced her to shore." Logan chuckled at Dick using his theory on Veronica's appetite, developed after learning about parasites in Biology.

Logan's attention drifted to thoughts of Veronica as Dick related more of the prior day's events. "Too bad you were stuck here; Duncan was attached to her most of the day. Shelley was so mad when they won the sandcastle competition. If I'd known she was going to be such a bitch, I would've picked a different partner. She sucked all the fun out of it. She'd been so cool all day and then, when Cedrick picked Duncan and V's castle, she went psycho, dude. I had to hide in the car just to avoid her. I thought I'd be there all afternoon waiting on V and Cas but I lucked out; they were ready to leave right after the contest too."

Dick's comment made Logan pause. "Wait, V wanted to leave after her and Donut won the contest? I thought you said she was hanging out with him—why didn't she want to stay with him?"

"Oh, I dunno, I just know that Cassidy said she was looking for me so we could leave." It didn't make sense. He thought for sure Veronica would want to spend as much time with Duncan as she could. Logan figured he would have to get Veronica's version of Dick's little tale this afternoon.

* * *

Having Cassidy look into Mr. Kane and Mrs. Mars had paid off. Logan was impressed with what he'd been able to uncover. Mr. Kane and Mrs. Mars were both from Neptune and had known each other growing up, very well actually. Cassidy figured out that Mr. Kane and Mrs. Mars had gone to high school together and had dated. The public library had past issues of the Neptune High yearbooks and newspapers. They were the 'IT' couple—the yearbook even had a picture of them as prom king and queen. Cassidy also found some newspaper articles, from a few years later. Mr. and Mrs. Kane's wedding announcement and about seven months later, the notice of Lilly's birth. It looked like maybe Lilly had been an accident and they'd married in a hurry to keep up appearances.

"So, old high school lovers reconnecting now that the kids are older?" Dick suggested. "Maybe this is why Mrs. Mars' behavior has been so erratic lately? Reuniting with your high school sweetheart could make someone erratic, I guess."

"That probably makes sense. Do you think we should show this to V? We don't even have any real proof." Cassidy was hesitant.

Dick stopped playing with the Rubik's cube he'd been fiddling with. "Yes, we do. I took pictures." Dick sat up and dug into his backpack, pulling out an envelope to add to the stack of photos in Cassidy's pile.

"You what?" Cassidy and Logan looked at Dick in shock, then glanced through the new materials. As he looked at the photographs, Logan knew this would tear Veronica's world apart.

"How did you get pictures?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't that complicated to figure out that Mrs. Mars and Mr. Kane have a standing date night when I stopped to think about what we already knew. The hardest part was convincing Cedrick to follow Mr. Kane."

Logan shook his head in disbelief. He could hardly believe this was really coming from Dick. How did he come up with such a plan, let alone act on it?

"Dick, what did you do?" Cassidy asked in a suspicious voice.

"Nothing! I just rode around with Cedrick taking pictures of Mr. Kane and Mrs. Mars. Do you think we should show them to Ronnie? I mean, do we need to tell her at all about the affair? What good will it do?"

Logan shrugged. Dick had a point. Telling Veronica about the affair would only cause her pain. It didn't seem like there was an upside to telling her but Logan wasn't so sure he could keep this from her. "I don't think I can keep this secret."

"What secret are you keeping?' Veronica appeared from around the side of the house. She was carrying her backpack. The mile wide smile on her face disappeared. "What are you guys doing? I thought we were going sailing."

"That's the plan! Let's get moving." Cassidy quickly collected all the evidence they had spread out all over the table and threw it in his messenger bag. "I'm just gonna go put this in the car." The rest of them grabbed their things and followed in the direction Cassidy ran off to.

"So what did I walk in on? What kind of secrets have you all looking so glum?" Veronica questioned Logan as they slowly made their way towards the driveway. Dick was a few feet in front of them but Logan was sure he was listening. Veronica set her bag down in the trunk next to Logan's as Dick climbed in the back seat and began to fidget with the Rubik's cube again. None of them had the ability to lie to her so Logan wished he had a Rubik's cube of his own to hide from Veronica's sharp gaze. Instead, he decided to change the subject and get some answers of his own.

"It's nothing. So Ronnie, I got to hear all about Dick and Cassidy's adventures on the beach yesterday, let's hear about yours. I've gotta live vicariously through you guys since all I did was sit at home watching TV and playing video games." At first, Logan didn't think she was going to share. She climbed in and sat next to Dick, watching him try to line up the colors. Logan sat beside her with his eyes on her. He was about to ask her about surfing when she spoke.

"It was okay, I guess, I'm not really sure what you want to hear." She looked over at him, then continued. "We surfed for a bit. I think I'm getting better. It wasn't the same without you there." Veronica's gaze stayed locked on Dick's movements as she told her version of events. Logan felt like she was deliberately avoiding meeting his eyes. "These guys spent more time doing flips off their boards and goofing around than giving me pointers. At least they were entertaining. Even during lunch, it was like watching a troop of monkeys performing at a circus." She laughed and nodded toward Cassidy. "This one here almost lost an eye." She paused again for a bit, staring out at the passing scenery before she bumped shoulders with Dick with a smirk on her face. "Dick and Shelley seemed to get along pretty well. They were pretty cozy most of the afternoon."

Throwing the Rubik's cube onto the seat next to him, Dick interjected into her recollection of events. "Yeah, 'til you and Donut won that stupid contest. Then she turned into a psycho."

Logan saw confusion on Veronica's face. Of course she wasn't aware of the fallout between Dick and Shelley; she was too busy relishing her win with Duncan. A picture of Duncan picking Veronica up and spinning her around as they celebrated flashed across his mind. The thought made him ill.

"Yeah, our castle was pretty awesome." She smiled mischievously then shrugged. "I guess Duncan and I do work well together when we need to." Hearing her talk about Duncan just confused him even more. His thoughts were interrupted by Cassidy who was digging around in the snack bar, tossing the unwanted items onto the seat beside him.

"Does anyone know what Mrs. Navarro made us for lunch? I was too busy making sure I packed everything and didn't get around to eating breakfast."

"Dude, if you're that hungry, anything that you've thrown on the seat would suffice." Dick threw a bag of pretzels at Cassidy.

"I don't want to spoil my lunch if Mrs. Navarro made something good," Cassidy said, throwing the pretzels back at him.

Veronica joined in the food fight, grabbing a bag of trail mix and throwing it at Cassidy. "Everything Mrs. Navarro makes is good, Cas."

Dick paused with another bag of trail mix in his hand. "She has a point, dude."

Logan reached over to the intercom button. "Ben, do you happen to know what kinds of things Mrs. Navarro packed us for lunch.?"

Ben's voice boomed over the intercom. "There's fruit salad cups, veggie kabobs, assorted pinwheel sandwiches, as well as chips and salsa, and I'm pretty sure she made cookies. There are also popsicles and ice cream in the freezer." There was a pause, then he returned to the intercom. "Clean up the back seat, you guys. We've arrived at the harbor."

"Thanks, Ben." Everyone collected the assortment of snacks strewn across the back seat and put them away. Veronica held onto one of the trail mix packets that Dick was about to throw at his brother to take with her. Just then, the door opened and they all filed out of the car and headed for the sailboat.

"We're going to eat first, right?" asked Cassidy as they climbed aboard.

* * *

Logan loved sailing, being out on the water was therapeutic for him, whether he was on a boat or on his board. The group of people sitting here with him on the deck were his family. He needed today to move past everything that had happened lately. Days like today were what kept him going on days like Sunday. He looked around at his friends as they finished lunch and thought that if anyone would stick with him if his secrets were to ever come out, it would be the three of them. No matter what.

Logan and Veronica were enjoying fruit salad cups on the deck, while Dick and Cassidy were checking out Salty Pete's equipment being prepped for deep sea fishing. Logan decided it was as good a time as any to ask Veronica about the beach and Duncan. "Hey, V, I'm not sure but...between what Dick told me and your reactions today, I don't know...did something happen with Duncan yesterday?"

Veronica had been studying a blueberry poked onto the tip of her fork but, at his words, she popped it into her mouth and peered down into her cup, stabbing at the remaining fruit as she chewed. Finally, she swallowed and glanced up at Logan with a look in her eyes that he couldn't read. "I don't know. Lilly makes such a big deal about Duncan liking me. Sometimes he can be so nice and it's like..." She paused as if she was trying to figure out what she was trying to say. "I mean, when we were planning and building the castle, we worked really well together. We seemed to be on the same page...but other times, it's like he doesn't get me at all, as if he doesn't know anything about me, not even as friends. By the end of the day, I just couldn't stand being around him anymore." She put her fruit cup down and looked at Logan with sad eyes in spite of her smile. "Does that make any sense?" Logan searched her eyes, looking for answers. He was pretty sure that she really didn't care for Duncan at all. It seemed like she might even be turned off by him. Was he jealous of Donut for no reason?

"Yeah, I get it. Did he do something?" Logan had heard Duncan talk about girls. Sometimes his thoughts about girls weren't exactly the best way to treat them, at least not in Logan's opinion. Veronica had gone back to stabbing her fruit as if she needed to keep busy just to talk about him.

"Nothing specific. When we were surfing, he sat on my board accusing me of losing a bet and only learning to surf to impress someone. Then, at lunch, I stole a carrot off his plate and you would have thought I'd committed a felony." Logan laughed at that. Ronnie stole food from everyone's plates. It was the price you paid for eating with her. Apparently that little quirk of hers didn't work for Duncan. That in itself would be a deal breaker dating Veronica. Logan felt bad that she seemed a little confused and sad to learn about Duncan this way but truthfully, not too bad. Logan finally had some hope that he might have a shot of having something more with her after all.

Veronica shoved Logan in the shoulder, knocking him loose from his train of thought. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No, no, no, although I do find it a little funny that we've been friends for so long and Donut's pet peeve is you stealing his food. That's got to be a deal breaker. The two of you will never make it through the first date, let alone marriage. Lilly's ten year plan is doomed."

Veronica burst into laughter. His simplification of the events of yesterday was apparently not something Veronica had considered until now based on her current fit of laughter.

"Aww, I'm going to have to break it to her during our sleepover this weekend. She's going to be crushed." She faked a pouty face.

Logan sombered. "I'm sorry Duncan isn't what you'd hoped he would be, V." He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder as she popped a melon bite into her mouth.

"It's okay; it's not like I was committed to a future together. It's Lilly who's always pushing that idea. And even with the Duncan weirdness, yesterday was fun. The others were very entertaining." She pointed her fork at him with another blueberry on the tip. "You know what else I realized yesterday, other than that Duncan and I are totally wrong for each other?"

Logan stole the berry with a grin. "What's that?"

"I realized that even though there's a bunch of us who all hang out together, it's really only you, Dick, and Cassidy that I depend on. Even Lilly has been absent from my life lately. I hope that our weekend together will bring us back together, cuz I miss her, but she goes to high school in the fall. She most likely won't have time for us much anymore."

Logan didn't know what to tell her to make her feel better. All he could think was that he'd had the same thoughts earlier that these were the three people he relied on the most but then he remembered the secret that they were keeping from her. He wanted to tell her but instead, he pulled her closer to him, kissed the top of her head, and rocked her in time with the boat.

Their quiet solitude was interrupted by Cassidy calling out to them from the stern of the boat.

"Hey, guys, Salty Pete has the poles ready, you ready to try some deep sea fishing?" He didn't even wait around for them to respond before turning around and racing back like a kid on his way into a candy store.

They stood up and walked towards the stern, Logan following Veronica with his hands at her waist to steady her from the rocking of the boat. While Salty Pete helped Veronica strap the belt for her fishing pole, Logan pulled the other two back. "We have to tell her about Mr. Kane and her mom. Sooner rather than later."

The other two looked at Veronica and then back and forth at each other. Dick was the first to speak. "Why, what changed?"

"She did. Except her dad, we're all she has to depend on. We can't keep this from her." Logan was adamant. Before the day was over, they would tell Veronica what they knew.


	6. One Angry Veronica

Cassidy pulled out his messenger bag and set it down in front of Veronica. During the car ride back to Logan's house, Logan had said that they had come across something that they needed to tell her. He'd said they wanted to wait to tell her because they wanted to enjoy their sailing trip and the information they had could have spoiled it.

She opened the bag and pulled out a stack of papers. "This is the stuff you guys were looking at before we left this morning." Dick gave her a thin-lipped smile and Cas just nodded in agreement, but it was Logan's face that made her the most nervous. She could tell by the concern in his eyes that, whatever this was, there would be serious consequences attached. She took a deep breath and looked more closely at what she had in front of her. All three boys hovered over her.

The first page was a news article about the Kanes giving birth to a beautiful baby girl. Then there was an earlier article with the Kanes' wedding announcement. A photograph of Mr. Kane and her mom having dinner. A photo of them meeting in a parking lot. A photo of them getting into Mr. Kane's car. Prom King and Queen, Jake Kane & Lianne Reynolds. Best couple. Mom and Mr. Kane...She gasped. Veronica dropped the picture and it fluttered to the patio deck. She looked up and the guys all had their heads bowed, not looking her in the eyes. What did this mean? She reached down to pick up the photo that she'd dropped. Her mom and Mr. Kane were kissing. Not a peck on the cheek of a friend when you say good night after a friendly meeting. No, this was exploring the depths of each others' souls kissing.

Veronica stared at the picture for a long moment, then deliberately turned it upside down with the other papers. "How did you guys find out about this?"

Logan looked at her with such sad eyes that her heart fluttered in fear. He scooted closer to her and took her hand in his. His lips parted to speak but instead it was Cassidy's voice she heard. "Dick and I saw them when we were having dinner with our dad." She turned her attention to Cassidy but he wasn't looking at her. He was focused on the overturned pile of photos. "I'm sorry we didn't say anything right away." He placed his palm over the pile. "We thought... we needed to be sure first." He glanced up at her briefly, then looked away again.

Dick placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Looking up at her for the first time, Dick spoke barely above a whisper. "Sorry, Ronnie."

Given the information that they were sharing with her, she expected the weighted feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. What she didn't expect was the lump in her throat making it difficult to swallow. It was so clear to her, these three always had her best interests at heart.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Veronica had no idea what to do next, but she realized that the silent support of her best friends was giving her the strength she was going to need to figure it out. She startled when she felt Logan wipe the tears from her cheek, then squeeze her hand; she hadn't even realized he was still holding it, or that she had been crying. "Ronnie, you okay?"

His voice seemed to kick start something inside her; she felt herself change. She let out a long breath and looked at him. What she saw there, in Logan's eyes, told her he understood and he'd be there for whatever she needed. She glanced at Dick and Cassidy and saw the same thing. She pulled her hand out of Logan's to wipe the tears from her face. She could feel herself growing stronger with each breath she took. Veronica reached for the pile of evidence still sitting in front of her and reorganized it all into some semblance of order before beginning to go over it piece by piece, analyzing each item carefully. The boys occasionally filled in the blanks as she processed.

Her mother had never spoken of Jake Kane other than to reference him as her friends' dad. Veronica had no idea they had a past, other than attending the same school, growing up in Neptune. Her mother never discouraged her from being friends with the Kanes so it didn't appear to have been a bad breakup. She encouraged Lilly's incessant reference to them being sisters. Was that some fantasy of hers? She would eventually be with Mr. Kane and they would all just accept each other since they were already friends? Ready made bffs turned siblings? How dare she! How could she do this to Dad? It would break his heart. She didn't share these thoughts with the boys. She was such a mix of emotions: furious with her mother and overwhelmingly sad for her dad. She wasn't sure what all of this was going to mean for her other than she felt determined that she would make her mom tell her the truth.

Mrs Navarro opened the patio door to let Veronica know her dad called and he was on his way to pick her up. With a tentative plan in place, she put everything back in Cassidy's bag and asked if she could borrow it. They all continued to look at her with such sadness but she assured them she would be okay. She planned to fish for what her dad might know about her mother's past and then she would confront her mom. Veronica wondered if her mom would try to explain her way out of the evidence they had gathered. They walked out around the front of the house and down the drive when they saw the Sheriff's car coming down the street. Dick and Cassidy said their goodbyes and headed for home. Veronica wrapped her arms around Logan's waist, the contact giving her the strength she knew she was going to need for her conversations with her parents. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"I really am sorry about your mom, Ronnie."

"Thanks Lo, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Logan smiled and nodded his head just as her dad pulled up in front of them. Logan waved as he and Veronica approached. "Hi, Mr. Mars. I'll talk to you later, V." Her dad returned the gesture as Veronica climbed in. Logan shut the door for her and she turned to wave him off. She watched him standing in his driveway, hands in his pockets, as they drove away.

* * *

Veronica patted the messenger bag sitting on her lap. She had been trying to decide the best way to approach her dad. She wasn't ready to share what she'd learned with him, but she did need to know how much her dad was already aware of. Before she had a chance to ask him anything. he spoke. "So, how was sailing today, honey? Did you guys have a good time?"

She smiled at her dad, thinking back to happier times being out on the water earlier. She loved the ocean and deep sea fishing had been fun. She was thankful that Logan, Dick, and Cassidy had waited to share this news with her. "We went deep sea fishing! How come we've never tried that before?"

Her dad laughed at her. "I guess because I was afraid you would get pulled out to sea."

"Really, Dad?" she said dryly. Always with the pint size jokes. She wondered if she would ever outgrow them. Her response just made her dad laugh harder. He was in such a light hearted mood, it made him appear open to conversation.

"So Dad, Cassidy came across something interesting at the library when he was doing some digging around." Her dad crooked his head towards her in interest.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"He was messing around, looking at old Neptune High yearbooks, and came across a picture of Mr. Kane and Mom. He said that it showed them as Prom King and Queen. Did you know they had dated?"

Veronica noticed the tension in her dad as he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and the veins in his neck protrude just a bit. She thought she saw him swallow hard but couldn't be sure.

"Yeah, I did actually. Mr. Kane and your mom dated a lot back then, off and on. They drifted apart but now that you, Lilly, and Duncan are friends, they're friends again."

Her dad was clearly not comfortable with this conversation but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know what he knew and her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Despite the excitement she felt from asking questions and figuring out secrets, she actually felt more driven by the need to minimize the damage her mother had caused, and was probably still causing. She'd felt the same drive as she pieced together all of Cassidy's evidence. Her dad had pieces to the puzzle that she needed, so she kept digging. "So they hadn't been friendly until we became friends?"

"I don't think so. As far as I know, your mom didn't go to their wedding or anything like that but when you kids started getting involved in sports together and became friends, that's when she mentioned that she'd known him before. I couldn't say if there was animosity over their breakup." At the stop sign, her father turned to look at her, placing his hand over hers where it rested on Cassidy's messenger bag and giving her a reassuring smile. "If you want to know about who your mom used to be, I'm sure all you have to do is ask her, Veronica. She loves you and I think she would love sharing who she was with you."

She returned his smile and nodded. "Thanks, Pops."

A car beeped behind them and her dad glanced in the rear view mirror, giving a quick wave before pulling through the intersection. The rest of the way home, Veronica couldn't shake the sour feeling she had as she considered all the support her father gave her mother. He didn't seem to know about her mother's current extracurricular activities, but she could tell he was trying to make light of her past with Mr. Kane. It broke her heart knowing what was in their future. She would minimize the damage in her mother's wake the best she could.

* * *

Veronica had to wait until the next day to have a lovely mother/daughter chat. When they'd gotten home the night before, there was a message on the answering machine letting them know that something had come up and she would be home late and that they shouldn't wait up. Ignoring the instruction, Veronica was up past one in the morning waiting for her mother to return before her body forced her to sleep. In the late morning, she found her mom asleep in bed, still wearing the clothes she'd had on the day before.

To pass the time until her mom decided to rise and shine, Veronica did some digging of her own. Cassidy was thorough; she didn't find anything in the public record that he hadn't. The difference between her and Cassidy was, he didn't live with her mother and her memories from her childhood. Sitting in the attic amongst the boxes of keepsakes and memorabilia, she was thankful that her dad had labeled them. The earliest piece of history Cassidy found was from high school so Veronica started there. She pulled down the box labeled 'Lianne Senior Year', lifted the lid, and was transformed back in time. Her mom had been popular. Awards, photos, copies of the school paper, her yearbook. Veronica pulled the yearbook from the box and opened it. As she flipped through the pages, she read a few of the well wishes that fellow classmates write when they plan to never see you again until the reunion And then, there it was: her mom and Mr. Kane smiling at the camera. Scrawled across her mother's dress in what must have been his handwriting, Veronica read, 'Forever Jake'.

"VERONICA!" Her mom's voice echoed through the walls. She was torn. Should she let her mom catch her going through her past? Should she answer her or just sneak down and face her. Before she had the chance to decide, the attic door opened and her mother's head popped up through the door in the floor.

"Veronica, what are you doing up here?" Veronica saw the nervous look on her mother's face the moment she saw what Veronica had in her hand. "Wha...why are you looking through these old things?"

"I was talking to dad about what it was like for you back in high school and he told me I should talk to you but you were sleeping. I just thought I could find some things out on my own."

Her mom ascended the rest of the way into the attic and came to stand next to her. "You are invading my privacy, Veronica. Your dad was right. You should've just asked me." She heard the anger in her mother's voice despite her trying to hide it.

"I wasn't sure you would tell me the truth."

"What are you talking about?" Her mom faked confusion, but her body language was telling Veronica she was trying to hide. "Why would I lie to you?"

Regretting her outburst, Veronica tried to steer the conversation back to neutral ground. "Could we talk about it over lunch? I'm hungry."

At the suggestion, her mom took the yearbook from Veronica and tossed it back in the box before replacing the lid. She seemed happy to allow Veronica to change the direction of this conversation. She grabbed Veronica by the arm and led her toward the door leading them out of the attic. "That sounds like a good idea. What should we have?" Cold hard facts with a dash of honesty, Veronica thought as they made their way into the kitchen.

* * *

Veronica had been listening to her mother ramble on about how great it was in high school. How having a tight close knit group of friends made every major event more special. She told Veronica how happy she was that Veronica had the Kanes, the Casablancas' boys and Logan to make the same kinds of wonderful memories she had. During the entire time, not once did she mention being in a relationship with Jake Kane. Veronica wasn't sure she had the patience to sit through anymore of this. Veronica felt that dulled anger rebuild with every little story her mom told omitting the most important fact. They'd made sandwiches and cut vegetable sticks for lunch, then sat down to eat as her mother continued. Veronica occasionally glanced over at the messenger bag sitting on the chair next to her. When would be the perfect time to let her mom know that she already knew her deep dark secrets?

Growing tired of the direction this conversation had gone, Veronica decided to prompt her mom a bit. "Did you date a lot in high school, Mom?"

"There were a few. Obviously none of them lived up to your dad." Her mother smiled at her as she dipped her carrot stick in her ranch dressing and Veronica felt her blood boil. Enough was enough; the gloves were coming off. Dipping her own carrot stick a bit aggressively, she went in for the kill.

"How long did you and Mr. Kane date in high school? Were you guys very serious?" Veronica knew she'd hit a nerve as she watched the emotions flitting across her mother's face at the acknowledgement of what she just said. Rather than respond, her mother took a huge bite of her sandwich. Veronica knew it was just an opportunity for her mother to think about how she would answer but Veronica was prepared to wait her mom out, gloating on the inside that she'd been able to shake her out of her rosy memories made up of half-truths. When it looked as if her mom was about to speak, Veronica pushed her plate to the side and leaned forward on her elbows, literally on the edge of her seat. She was actually excited to hear what her mother was about to say.

"We dated off and on in high school. That was so long ago, I'm not sure really how long it truly lasted. How did you hear about Mr. Kane and I dating, honey?" Veronica felt a sting of disappointment. She probably shouldn't have expected it, but somehow she'd thought her questioning would make her mother a little more forthcoming.

"Dad told me." Her mother took another bite of her sandwich and Veronica sat back in her chair, feeling like they were playing a game of cat and mouse. If her mother wasn't going to make this easy, she wasn't going to either.

"How did this conversation come about?" she asked with a forced smile. Veronica could tell her mother was treading lightly, making sure she didn't give away more information than she needed to.

"I asked him. I came across some things and wanted to know what he knew about it." Veronica knew she was being deliberately vague but she wasn't going to give up everything she knew either. She enjoyed watching her mother squirm a bit.

"What is it that you think you know, Veronica?" Her mother sounded angry.

"I know more than I want to." Veronica grabbed the messenger bag and slammed it on the table. "What I don't know is why. Why would you do this to us? To Dad? Apparently you want to have your cake and eat it too but where does that leave the rest of us? You couldn't be Mrs. Jake Kane so you settled for me and dad? Dad deserves better than that. I deserve better than that." She was so angry she wanted to cry.

"Veronica, I don't know what you think you know but I love your father. I love you." Veronica took a deep breath and opened the messenger bag. She pulled out the photo of her mom and Mr. Kane kissing, placing it on the table before sliding it in front of her mother. "If you love us, then why are you doing this?"


	7. Lilly and Veronica

Veronica was thankful when the weekend finally rolled around. She was more than ready to spend some quality time with her best friend. She'd missed her terribly and the last couple of days had been staggering.

Confronting her mom had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. Mom had gotten so angry and defensive after Veronica pulled out the photographs, then had stormed off to her bedroom. Veronica sat at the table, stunned at her mother's response, wondering what she'd expected would happen. An explanation for why it was all a misunderstanding? Apologies and promises to do better? Instead there were excuses and angry words and then silence when her mom ran off to her room.

When her dad returned home from work, she was sitting on the porch, crying. Once he knew she wasn't physically hurt, he stopped asking what was wrong and she didn't have the strength to tell him. He sat with her for what felt like hours before he gently encouraged her to go to bed. As he helped her to her room, they passed her parents' open door, and she saw her mother had passed out with a bottle in her hand. Her dad tucked her into bed, kissed her forehead, and told her to get some sleep. Veronica assumed that he must have found the photos that still littered the kitchen table because the next day, her mother was gone. It had taken another whole day before her dad was able to talk to her about it. He'd apologized for not seeing what was happening right in front of him and that she'd had to go through the confrontation with her mom. Veronica assured him that she was sorry that he'd had to go through it too. As he'd hugged her tightly, Veronica wasn't sure what was going to happen next but she knew that they would get through it together.

* * *

With her overnight bag slung over her shoulder, she leaned into her dad's car window, giving him a kiss on the cheek before heading up the Kane drive. He'd been extremely reluctant to allow her to go over to the Kanes' house, now that they knew about Jake and Lianne, but Lilly had mentioned that her dad was out of town for the weekend at a conference so Dad had finally agreed. As she walked around the back of the Kane house, expecting to find Lilly lounging by the pool, she noticed that same green car pulling away, just like the last time she'd been here.

"Veronica Mars! It's about time we had some girl time!" Lilly stood in the outdoor kitchen retrieving a popsicle from the freezer. "Want one?" Veronica nodded her head and gave Lilly a big smile.

"Lilly Kane, I've missed you! You're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you." She took the popsicle and they sat on the bench seats in the kitchen looking out over the pool. "I will admit, I expected to see you in a bikini napping by the pool, not dressed in shorts and a hoodie, digging in the freezer for popsicles."

Lilly let out a chuckle. "Gee, V, thanks for loving me for me." Veronica had to laugh. Just a little over a week ago, she was giving Lilly a hard time about how she dressed and here she was, doing it again.

"I'm sorry, Lils. I didn't mean it that way." Veronica finished her popsicle and tossed the stick in the trash beside the bench. "You never did get to dish about the beach party last weekend." As Veronica sat back down, she noticed a nervous look pass over Lilly's face. "Well, are you going to spill or do I have to tip you over?"

Lilly stood up and threw away her popsicle. Instead of returning to the bench, she walked over and sat down at the pool, dipping her toes into the water. Veronica watched her, a little confused by her actions. After a moment, she took her shoes off and got up to go join Lilly.

Quiet Lilly was a rare occurrence so Veronica sat beside her, swishing her feet back and forth in the water, knowing that when Lilly was ready, she would tell her what seemed to have gotten her down.

"The party wasn't what I thought it would be. At first, it was fun, but then it wasn't. I don't know if I'm going to like high school, V." Lilly seemed to be focusing on her feet in the water. Veronica was concerned she wasn't being completely honest but she didn't want to push. She decided the best thing was to let the conversation go whatever way it went and hope that it led to Lilly opening up.

"You'll be okay, Lils. Change can be scary. Even for the great Lilly Kane."

"Yeah, I guess so." Veronica got the impression that Lilly was done with this topic. It became clear when she bumped Veronica in the shoulder and asked, "So, what have you been up to lately? Duncan came home the other day raving about the two of you winning the sandcastle contest. It's your turn to spill, Ms. Mars."

Veronica blushed; Lilly never gave up, but on this, she was going to have to. "Lilly, you need to get over your delusions of your brother and I getting married and making you an aunt. It's never gonna happen." Lilly looked shocked.

"What do you mean? What happened? I thought you guys were getting along. When he told me he got to spend the day with you because Logan didn't show, I thought for sure it would seal the relationship between the two of you."

"Lilly, Donut and I have nothing in common. He doesn't get me at all. Be serious, really think about it, do you honestly think we fit? Forget your wild fantasy of us being sisters, cuz as far as I'm concerned, we already are. But you have to see that Duncan and I don't work."

"Yeah, okay, If I'm being totally honest, I see you more with Logan. The two of you are adorable together." Hearing that out loud made Veronica blush. There was apparently no hiding it because an evil grin crossed Lilly's face.

'Why Veronica Mars, is there something we doth want to confess?"

Faced with a discussion about Logan or one about their parents, Veronica decided to go with the bad news. "There is something I need to talk to you about. It's not about Logan though."

"Okay, this sounds serious. What's going on, V?"

"I'm not sure you're going to want to hear this, Lils." She really wasn't looking forward to hurting her best friend, but she felt that Lilly had a right to know. Taking her friend's hand in hers, she decided to start at the end and work her way backwards.

"My mom doesn't live with us anymore. She moved into a hotel room at the Neptune Grand. She was cheating on my dad—" Veronica glanced at Lilly willing her to look her in the eye. When she did, Veronica added,"—with your dad." Lilly's eyes widened and she clung to Veronica as if she would fall if she hadn't been sitting already.

* * *

The girls sat together at the pool for quite some time, talking about what their parents' actions were going to mean for all of them and how this would change things. They leaned on each other for support, promising they would always be able to rely on each other even though nothing was ever going to be the same.

After a while sitting next to the pool, Rosa called them in for lunch. Now with an audience, they changed their topic to what Lilly had missed since last hanging out with Veronica. Over tacos, they talked about the day Veronica spent with Duncan on the beach and the day she went sailing and deep sea fishing. Veronica assumed that, after lunch, she and Lilly would go swimming, but Lilly suggested a movie instead so they spent the better part of the afternoon in the media room, indulging in romantic comedies and munching on popcorn. It felt good to just hang out. Veronica had known she missed Lilly, but she didn't realize how much she missed just hanging out with her. They spent the evening filling up on pizza as they sang and danced to music.

* * *

It was after midnight before they headed upstairs for the night. They were taking turns changing and getting ready for bed. Since her dad was working a night shift, Veronica called him to say goodnight while Lilly headed for the bathroom first. Lilly was stepping out of the shower, reaching for a towel, when she heard a gasp behind her. "Lilly, what happened to you?"

Veronica reached out to touch her but stopped just short of making contact with the yellowish brown bruises covering her body. Lilly bowed her head in shame at Veronica seeing her like this. She had been so cautious and felt she had healed enough to finally get to be near Veronica again. She was ashamed she had let her guard down.

"I'm okay, V. It's not a big deal." Lilly wrapped the towel around her to cover herself up.

Veronica touched her gently on her arm. "This is a big deal. You are covered in bruises. This is why you haven't been around, why you were dressed differently today, why we didn't go swimming. What happened to you?"

Lilly knew Veronica wouldn't let this go. It was why she'd avoided her this whole time; Veronica was too inquisitive. The only person she felt comfortable being around was Weevil. He'd been visiting her almost every day, just hanging out. He knew what had happened but they never talked about that night. Other than the first couple of days, when he'd tried convincing her to tell him who had done this to her, he didn't want the details. He seemed happy just to watch movies or go swimming. She never wanted to talk about what had happened to her again but at this point, Lilly knew that she had no choice. She was going to have to tell Veronica something. "I'm gonna be fine, I got roughed up a bit at the beach party but it's over, I am fine."

"Oh Lils, why didn't you tell me? I could have been here for you. That's what friends do." Lilly knew Veronica would do anything to help but, the thing was, she didn't want help. She only wanted to forget.

"I know, but I'm fine, can we just not talk about it anymore? Please?" Lilly saw the pity in Veronica's eyes when she looked at her but Lilly knew Veronica was going to respect her wishes when her eyes softened as she nodded.

"Okay, I won't press, but when you are ready, you know that I'm here, right? Always." Veronica reached over, giving her a hug so gentle that it seemed like she thought Lilly might crumble under her touch.

* * *

Lilly could tell neither of them could sleep because Veronica kept rolling over every few minutes. She was pretty sure that the same reason was keeping them awake, the reason that they should both be exhausted: their cheating parents. Lilly knew they were having the same problem: their minds just wouldn't shut up. She thought that maybe if she got Veronica talking about something pleasant, they might be able to relax enough to fall asleep.

"Hey, Veronica?" she whispered.

Veronica rolled onto her back. "Yeah?"

On her side, facing Veronica, Lilly tucked her hands under her head on her pillow and pulled her knees up to her stomach. "Have you guys planned your next surf lesson?"

Veronica rolled the rest of the way onto her side, mirroring Lilly's position. "It's not until next week. Logan has to join his mom and dad on this movie tour and there's no point to doing it without him. The other guys didn't really teach me anything; they spent more time goofing off on their boards. Why? Do you want to learn to surf?"

Lilly wasn't interested in surfing, but she was interested in spending more time with Veronica. "I don't think so; I just thought I'd get to see you in action. Spend some time with you guys. Do you have plans to go to the beach?"

"Not really. You know Dick and Cassidy, they almost never make plans. I figured they would show up at my house a couple of times in the next week, and drag me somewhere, since Logan isn't around." Lilly noticed that Veronica had created a tight circle of friends with the Casablancas brothers and Logan. Earlier, she'd been sure Veronica had revealed having feelings for Logan, but she wasn't sure if Veronica was just embarrassed by the idea.

"You don't venture out past Cassidy, Dick, and Logan much these days, do you?" Veronica nodded her head in agreement to Lilly's observation.

"I hadn't really realized until lately how much I depend on them. They've really been there for me. Cassidy tends to be the voice of reason, especially for Dick." Veronica chuckled. "He's smart and calculating. He's the one who collected the evidence on our parents." Veronica frowned at her mention of the affair. "Dick always has a plan." She smiled. "He's loyal, trustworthy, and he makes me laugh." Veronica paused before continuing, "He saved my life when I fell off my board surfing." Veronica scrunched up her nose before continuing."Try not to mention that one in front of my dad please—after he got me back to my board, Dick encouraged me to get back up and try it again." Lilly lay quietly, listening to Veronica talk about her friends, but noticed she just stopped before talking about Logan. If she hadn't been facing her to see her eyes were open, Lilly would have thought Veronica fell asleep.

"And Logan?" Lilly prompted her.

"I...well, it's just...he gets me." She sighed and Lilly waited her out. She knew Veronica needed time to open up and talk about her feelings. "It's like...he knows what I need before I do. He truly is my guy best friend. I can tell him anything." Lilly smiled at her, talking was helping. She felt herself getting drowsy. She had just closed her eyes when Veronica started talking again. "I wish he would tell me everything though. Then I wouldn't have to solve the tiny blonde mystery."

Lilly's eyes popped open. "What?"

"When you and Logan ditched us that day, Dick was teasing about you guys swapping spit, and getting each other sick." Lilly scrunched her nose and pursed her lips contemplating the idea. "When I said something about it, he said that you weren't the tiny blonde Logan couldn't stop talking about. Logan has never mentioned liking someone to me. So, I've decided I'm going to find out who it is. It'll be like my own little mystery to solve."

Lilly tried to think who Dick might have been talking about. There were a lot of girls from Neptune with blonde hair, present company included. She hoped Dick was right and it wasn't her; Logan was nice and all but he was definitely not her type. "Why don't you just ask him?'

Veronica giggled. "What would be the fun in that?" she said as she rolled over. "Nite, Lils. Love you."

"Nite, V. Love you."


	8. Meet Cindy Mackenzie

When Cassidy signed up for the Kane Software's computer club, he hadn't realized just how challenging it would be. Their project for the summer was designing and writing their own computer software game. They were two weeks into the project and he felt like they were finally getting somewhere. Participating in this program had been very rewarding. Officially meeting Cindy Mackenzie had been a nice bonus too. She was in some of his advanced classes at school and she'd always seemed cool. Mac had asked him to be partners when they were told to pair off, claiming that she wanted a partner who she knew had a good work ethic. Looking around the room at his other potential partners, he was grateful she asked. He was even more grateful to be paired up with her when he'd been tracking down the information about Mrs. Mars and Mr. Kane and ran into some roadblocks. Mac was a whiz with online research and had offered to get him into some sites that he hadn't been able to access. He'd worried a little about someone else learning their secret but he needed the help and he was pretty sure that he could trust her.

Cassidy was sitting at the island in his kitchen with Mac, trying to focus on the task at hand but Dick was currently making a complete fool of himself, clearly trying to impress her. He had taken over her notebook and was drawing an elaborate sketch of a video game.

"No, Mac, seriously. The main character will uncover secret tunnels and passageways throughout the game earning advantages. It will be awesome. When you guys get it written, I'll play it for you so you can find the bugs and fix them."

Ever since Cassidy started bringing Mac around, his older brother had become a complete bumbling idiot. He was always asking when their next work session was scheduled and he intruded on their work time, constantly offering his assistance. Mac seemed to enjoy his company, encouraging him to explain his crazy ideas. Normally, Cassidy would try to ship him off to Logan's house but unfortunately, Logan has been gone most of the week, on some movie tour with his parents which meant they were wasting time entertaining Dick's hairbrained ideas rather than getting actual work done.

Freya walked into the kitchen, carrying bags of groceries. Cassidy stood up and grabbed the bags from her. "Here Freya, let me help you." Cassidy put the bags on the counter next to the refrigerator. "Where is Cedrick? Why isn't he helping you?"

Freya looked frazzled. "Oh, he had to go to the airport to pick up your father. I went to the store myself. Your father requested a fancy dinner tonight for him and the future Missus so I had to be sure to be prepared." She patted Cassidy on the arm. "No worries, Mr. Cassidy. I would have managed just fine. But I do appreciate the help."

Freya walked past him and began to put the groceries away. Cassidy got lost in the activity going on around him and he startled when he heard the doorbell. Freya put the eggs in the refrigerator before leaving the room to answer the door.

"Dick, Mac and I really need to get this done if you want to ever play it. Could you find something else to do please?" Cassidy was getting frustrated.

"All work and no play makes Cassidy a dull boy!" Lilly's voice boomed through the kitchen.

Cassidy groaned; there was no way that they were getting any more work done today. "Hey, Lilly, long time no see. It's been what? Two days? We've missed you." He reached over and gave her a quick one-armed hug, then moved over to give Veronica a hug too. "Hey, V, you okay?"

Veronica answered as she gave him a big hug. "Yeah, I'm good, thanks, Cas." Cassidy saw her eyebrow raise when she noticed the girl with the red streak in her dark hair behind him. Veronica leaned over the island, extending her hand. "Hi, I know you." She paused for a moment. "Mac, right?"

Mac smiled at Veronica's acknowledgment. "Yeah, hi, Veronica."

Veronica returned the smile. "So what has you mixed up with these two, Mac?'

"Oh, Cassidy and I are in the Kane Software computer club; we're partners on a computer program."

"I'm the test dummy." Dick added from behind Mac. There was a chorus of giggles but he continued without pause. "After they write the program, I get to play it so they can find the bugs in it."

"That's great, Dick." Veronica always did indulge him when he spoke up this way but Cassidy was glad to see her in such a good mood. She'd been trying hard to hide it but he'd seen the sadness in her eyes so many times in the last week. With Logan gone, he'd noticed that Veronica was stopping by more than usual. Sometimes Lilly would tag along and sometimes she was by herself. They'd gone swimming, goofed off on the beach, watched movies, and just hung out chatting about random things. Cassidy and Dick had been doing pretty much whatever they could to keep her mind occupied and away from thoughts of her mom.

"He actually has some great ideas; he just needs a little help channeling them," Mac said. Cassidy sighed and shook his head. With all these compliments from both Mac and Veronica, there was going to be no living with Dick before too much longer.

"Thanks Mackie!" And there it was...Dick's face beamed with pride at her compliment. Cassidy was sure Dick's head grew right before his eyes.

"Alright, that's enough, you two. Any more of this and he won't be able to get that head through the front door."

* * *

Realizing that they weren't going to get any work done, Cassidy started packing up their materials and Mac jumped in to help. They decided swimming was off the table after Lilly complained that she didn't want to so instead they went to the beach to play volleyball, Cassidy and Veronica versus Dick and Mac. Lilly decided it would be best if she just refereed the game.

"No playing favorites, Lilly!" Dick yelled from his side of the court.

"Just serve the ball, Dick," Lilly responded, waving him off.

Dick stepped forward and served the ball. The teams were evenly matched and they were able to keep the volleys going back and forth pretty well. After four rounds, they were all exhausted. Freya had sent down a picnic basket of food for dinner so they settled on the sand and dug into the subs and chips and soda.

Quiet fell over the group as everyone ate until Veronica broke the silence. "Mac, you've made a good first impression on our little gang, but I feel there is something I must ask you."

Mac laughed. 'Yeah, what's that?"

Veronica spoke in her deepest, most authoritative voice. "What exactly are your intentions here?"

Lilly burst into a fit of giggles. Mac looked confused, as if they were telling some inside joke that she didn't get. When Veronica's resolve broke and she began to laugh too, Cassidy saw Mac relax as if realizing Veronica had been teasing her and then an evil grin crossed her face. "There is no hiding my master plan from you, is there? Once I infiltrated the inner circle, I was planning to make each of them disappear, and then frame you to take the fall."

Without missing a beat, Veronica responded, "My very own archnemesis? Excellent. But I'd really rather have a pony." The others lost it at that point, their laughter ringing across the beach

* * *

Veronica sat on the Casablancas couch, flipping through the thousands of channels on the television, never stopping anywhere for very long. Mac's dad had picked her up a little while ago and Miguel had come for Lilly. Veronica's dad was supposed to pick her up when his shift was over. Cassidy watched her, wondering if she was thinking about her mom. He sat down next to her and bumped her with his shoulder. "Is this a new speed watching technique you're trying to perfect?"

Veronica looked over at him and he saw the look of sadness in her eyes again. It was quickly replaced by a warm smile. "No. To be honest, I wasn't really paying attention."

"I kinda figured. Do you want to talk about it?" He really wished she would talk to one of them at least. It wasn't good to keep it all bottled up inside. Maybe once Logan was home. Cassidy made a mental note to mention it to him.

"No, I'm okay. What I do want to talk about is Mac." Veronica had that familiar 'tell me all your secrets' gleam in her eye.

"She's just a friend, V. A cute, amazing, smart friend." Cassidy paused a moment and smiled at her. "I actually think her and Dick like each other."

"So how come we're just meeting her now? What promoted her from partner to friend?"

Cassidy really didn't want to bring up that particular situation but he knew he needed to come clean with her.

"She's really good with computers. She helped me gather the evidence on your mom and Mr. Kane." Cassidy waited to see how Veronica would react to his confession but when she didn't, he continued. "I enjoyed spending that time with her. I'll admit, I kinda liked her at first but other than computers and working well together...there isn't much else there." Cassidy glanced over at Veronica. She looked relaxed and peaceful; the look in her eyes told him she knew exactly what he was talking about. Veronica bowed her head with a soft smile forming on her lips. "Yeah, I can relate to that feeling." She looked back up at him. "I had to inform Lilly that her shot at me being her sister-in-law was never going to happen." Veronica snickered. "She took it better than I thought she would."

Cassidy was really glad to hear that; he'd never liked the idea of Veronica with Duncan. He never voiced his opinion of course, it wasn't his place, but Duncan seemed too politically correct for Veronica. And Cassidy had his own opinions about who Veronica belonged with.

"Hey, Cas, you and Dick went to the end-of-the-year beach party, right? Did you see Lilly there?"

"We were there but I didn't see Lilly. We got there late though, on account of the dinner we had to go to with dad." He cringed at the mention of her mother's affair but then shook the thought from his mind so he could focus on Veronica's question. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious. She said she didn't have a good time and I thought maybe you two saw something." At times like this, Cassidy wondered how she could compartmentalize so well. At the start of this conversation, she'd looked sad and lost, but he'd made two references to her mother's indiscretions and she only seemed curious, maybe even chipper.

Dick came in the room juggling 3 bowls. He interrupted their quiet conversation, loudly announcing, "Sundaes for everyone!"

Veronica reached up and took two of the bowls from Dick and passed one to Cassidy. Dick maneuvered around the coffee table and sat down next to Veronica. "Freya makes the best sundaes," Dick said just before he took a big bite. "Oh yeah, Freya says Dad and Sadie are in the main dining room so we have to take the back stairs up to our rooms. He doesn't want to be disturbed." Cassidy nodded in agreement as he too enjoyed a bite of his sundae.

"Dick?"

"Yes, Veronica?" She glanced over at Cassidy and he saw that the gleam had returned to her eye.

"I noticed you seemed to be enjoying our new friend Mac's company today. Is there something you wanted to share?" Veronica teased. Cassidy watched their conversation with interest, ready to enjoy watching his brother squirm under her interrogation.

"I don't think so. Mac is cool. And so smart." Cas chuckled to himself. Dick couldn't stop smiling while he talked about Mac. Veronica had to see what he saw. Maybe between the two of them, he and Veronica could get those two together.

"It looked like she thought you're pretty smart too," Veronica said with a smile. "She seemed impressed with the ideas you have been coming up with." Cassidy didn't think Dick's grin could get any bigger.

"She did, didn't she?" Dick said. He finished the rest of his ice cream and placed the bowl on the coffee table, then got up and walked over to the window. He looked lost in his thoughts, or maybe, his fantasies.

"You turned him to mush, V. Look at him." Cassidy spoke quietly as he gently bumped Veronica's shoulder again, nodding his head at Dick. He couldn't believe the goofy look on Dick's face at the thought of Mac.

"I think you are right, Cas, he's got it bad. It's a good thing your feelings towards Mac were just physical attraction. The two of you vying for the same girl would get messy."

"I could never do that to him. Dick's the only family I've got who cares about me at all. When he stood up to dad that time he wanted to tape me to my bike, I knew I'd always be able to depend on him. We're all each other have in this family." Cassidy didn't mean to get so sentimental, but he really believed neither his mom or dad cared about anything or anyone other than themselves.

Veronica looked at him sympathetically and Cassidy ducked his head, needing to escape the heavy conversation. He reached forward, picking up the empty bowls. "Hey man, you want anything else? I'm headed to the kitchen." Dick shook his head like a shaggy dog and Cassidy added his bowl to the stack and carried them to the kitchen.

* * *

Dick wanted to believe that Veronica was right about Mac liking him. He wasn't sure a girl like her could. She was amazing: beautiful, smart, and kind. He felt like he could talk to her for hours and never get bored hearing what she had to say. When Cassidy interrupted his thoughts and left the room, Dick made his way back to the couch, sitting beside Veronica.

"Hey V, do you really think Mac could be into someone like me? I mean, I know I'm not dumb, but I'm not the same kind of smart that she and Cassidy are. We both like video games, and Star Wars, and comic books. I could talk to her for hours. I love that red streak in her hair too. She is so cool!"

Veronica smiled at him and Dick felt hopeful. "I do think she likes you. She does think you're smart and she seemed to enjoy hanging out with you. Are you going to ask her out?"

Dick wasn't sure if he could do that. He didn't want her rejecting him. Spending more time together with their friends seemed safer. Less opportunity for heartbreak and humiliation. "I think I'm just going to see if she wants to hang out first."

"How about we invite her to hang with us at Logan's when he gets back and we can invite her to join us for the Fourth of July!"

"Yeah, do you really think she'll come?" Dick was excited. Veronica's idea seemed good; both times it would be a group of them. He could talk to her at Logan's while they hung out and during the carnival, he could maybe try pulling her away from the group so they could spend some time with just the two of them. If it seemed like it wasn't working out, they could just re-join the group. No harm, no foul.

"Of course, why wouldn't she? We're loads of fun to be around."

"Do you think Cassidy would give her a call?" he asked. "Logan comes home tomorrow."

Veronica tilted her head at him and smiled. "I think you're the one who needs to call her, Dick." That's exactly what Dick was afraid she would say, but there was a problem with that plan.

"I don't have her number."

Cassidy came back into the room and sat on the couch. He looked at Veronica. "What's wrong with him now? I've only been gone five minutes and he looks like you just ran over his surfboard."

Veronica looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "Well, Dick? You gonna ask him?"

Dick looked between the two of them. Veronica was encouraging him to ask with the look in her eye. Dick looked at Cassidy who wore a look of confusion.

"Hey. Uh, Cas...do you think...um, could you maybe give me Mac's phone number... so I could invite her to join us at Logan's tomorrow….and maybe, possibly, join us for the Fourth of July?" As Dick tried to explain himself, the confusion left Cassidy's face, replaced with a cocky smirk. Dick knew he'd never be able to live this down but just when he thought his brother was going to start teasing him, Cassidy did the opposite.

"Sure man, that sounds awesome."

* * *

Veronica was sure Mac liked Dick and wouldn't turn him down when he called unless she had something else already planned. Veronica had told Dick that when he called Mac, he should tell her that she and Lilly would pick her up and meet the boys at Logan's. When they arrived at the Echolls' estate, Mrs. Navarro expressed her appreciation to the girls for helping prepare the welcome home party. The time alone gave Veronica a chance to find out for sure how Mac felt about Dick. Lilly was carrying the last of the chips to the table when Cassidy and Dick showed up.

"You boys have perfect timing. Do you have access to the Echolls' security cameras to know the exact moment the work is done?" Lilly grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and sat at the edge of the pool dipping her feet in.

"Come on, Lils," Dick said with a smirk, "you didn't actually think we would do any of this even if we were here, do you?"

Lilly chuckled before taking a sip from her bottle of water. "Not in the least. I just figured you would come early to see a certain new friend of ours. You did make it just in time though, Logan should be here any minute and your girl is inside helping Mrs. Navarro plate the cookies."

Veronica stood back and watched as Lilly teased Dick about Mac. It had already been a very informative afternoon and the guest of honor wasn't even home yet. Though Mac did talk about her and Cassidy's project, she kept bringing up Dick's input in the whole process. They would purposely tell stories involving Dick to see how she would react and if she would ask questions. From Mac's comments and reactions, Veronica was convinced this matchup would be easy. At this rate, she would have Dick and Mac together before the Fourth of July fireworks display.


	9. A Neptune 4th of July

**_May the 4th be with you!_**

Logan was so glad to see his friends when he got home. There'd been a small mishap on the tour and he was certain that their impromptu welcome home party had saved him from a visit to his father's office. He'd tried really hard to follow protocol and do exactly what his father expected. He managed really well all week, but on the way to one of the final interviews of the tour, a guy pulled out in front of the limo and Ben slammed on the brakes, Logan's drink spilled all over him and splashed onto his dad's shoes. It had been an easy fix with a towel and a change of pants but that wasn't how Aaron saw it. When his father glared at him later from behind the reporter's back, he knew he would have to pay the consequences later but, thanks to his friends, he seemed to have avoided it this time.

With the stress of the tour over, he was glad to be able to relax and enjoy being with his friends. Dick had found someone who interested him while Logan was away. Veronica seemed to approve of her; since he'd been back, she'd actively paired the two every chance she got. He'd missed Veronica while he was gone and he was glad to see her laughing and having a good time. He wondered how things had progressed in the Mars house while he was gone but he'd had to wait until late in the party to get a chance to talk to her alone. As she described the confrontation she'd had with her mom, and all the aftermath, his heart broke for her and her dad. They didn't deserve that. Confronting her mother had taken a lot of guts and although he felt bad that she'd had to go through that, he was proud of her for being so courageous. He only wished he'd been here for her but she'd reassured him that Dick and Cassidy and Lilly had all been supportive while he was gone. He was glad that he wasn't included in anything else on his father's agenda for rest of the summer so he'd be able to be there when she needed him.

The last couple of days being back had been amazing. Mac fit right in with the group. Veronica had even convinced her to let Dick teach her how to surf and Veronica was surfing as well as the rest of them. Lilly had even been joining them occasionally; it took a bit of convincing but they'd finally gotten her to at least paddle a board out over the waves. Logan felt like they were in the full swing of summer and he was looking forward to hanging out with everyone at the Independence Carnival today. Logan was even more excited when Veronica told him her dad had agreed to let her hang out until midnight as long they promised to use the buddy system and check in with Cedrick every couple of hours.

Logan walked through the crowd, heading towards the Flying Swings. Dick had said they'd be there waiting for him. He would've been there sooner but his mom had asked him to bring her some lunch at the charity fireworks booth. With that out of the way, he was fighting the crowds in search of his friends. Logan had stopped and looked around to get his bearings when he saw Dick and Mac standing together at the snow cone stand. They were facing each other, standing close, and Dick was using a napkin to wipe Mac's chin off. It was unexpected to see this soft side of Dick and Logan felt like he was eavesdropping on a private moment. Deciding to let what was happening happen, Logan looked around for another familiar face, or at least the ride he was looking for. There were so many people all around that Logan began to get aggravated; he just wanted to find Veronica and enjoy the festivities, not wander around all afternoon pushing his way through hoards of people. When he noticed a lamp post, he climbed up on the base and shielded his eyes from the bright sun so he could get a better view of the crowded carnival grounds. He scanned the crowd and finally saw the petite blonde he was looking for, sitting on a park bench with Cassidy and Lizzie Manning, giggling about something. Based on the direction they were facing, Logan was pretty sure that the source of their amusement was the scene he had recently borne witness to. Logan knew that Veronica was sure that Mac and Dick were meant to be together and it would only be a matter of time until they were an actual couple. Logan wasn't really committed to the relationship one way or the other but if it made Mac and Dick, and Veronica, happy, then he had no objections.

Logan jumped down off the lamp post and made his way to Veronica. When she noticed him, she grinned and jumped up, running to him and pulled him by the arm to sit beside her on the bench. Since she never seemed to take her eyes off of Dick and Mac, he had no idea how she'd managed to even see him.

"Check this out!" She whispered as if they could hear her. "I'm gonna have these two admitting they like each other by the end of the day!"

Logan couldn't help but laugh; her excitement was contagious. It did look obvious that the two of them felt the same way about each other. Watching the way Dick looked at Mac, Logan wondered if his feelings for Veronica were that obvious to someone looking at them from the outside.

"They're coming back. We've gotta stop staring." Veronica nudged Logan's shoulder bringing him out of his thoughts. "Hey, stop staring." He hadn't even realized he was. To maintain their cover, Logan decided to greet the two headed their way.

"Hey, man, Mac...where's my snow cone?" Mac and Dick reached the bench and Logan saw Dick move to put his hand on the small of Mac's back, but then quickly pulled it away and shoved his hand in his pocket instead. Logan glanced down at Veronica. If he'd noticed Dick's action, he was pretty sure Veronica had and, when he saw the smirk on her face, he knew that he was right.

"Sorry, dude. If we'd known when you were going to finally show, I would've gotten one for you. What took you so long to get here, man?"

"Leave him alone, Dick; you know he had to help his mom but he's here now." Veronica turned away from Dick and smiled up at Logan. "What do you want to ride first?" Logan smiled back at her. This is what he'd been waiting for. Riding all the rides and playing games with Veronica.

"Since we're here, why not start with the swings?"

At Logan's suggestion, Veronica grabbed his wrist and jumped up from the bench. "Let's fly, Echolls"

* * *

Dick had convinced Mac to play the dart game. They'd made a wager about who could pop the most balloons. Dick laid a twenty on the table and the carnie counted out a set of darts for each of them.

"Come on, Mackie. If you win, I'll buy you dinner, If I win, you buy me dinner."

"Dick, we're eating dinner on the yacht. It's free." Dick smiled at her.

"Not tonight, Mac, Friday night. Just you and me." Dick picked up the pile of darts and handed them to her. "Come on, what do ya say? Will you come to dinner with me Friday night?" Dick hoped she would agree. And no matter who won at Darts, he had no intention of having her pay for dinner on their first official date.

He didn't think this day could get any better. When Veronica had convinced him to ask Mac to join them, he wasn't sure she would. They'd had such a great time talking and hanging out at Logan's that it gave him the confidence to ask her to join him today. Having his friends around helped ease into things and when Mac requested a snow cone he was more than happy to wander off alone with her to get one.

"All right, Casablancas, you have a deal." Mac had agreed to his terms but Dick wanted to be sure that his intentions were understood.

"So, it's a date?" He looked at her hopefully and she smiled.

"Yes, it's a date." Dick was bursting with excitement on the inside but he was doing his best to keep looking cool on the outside. He repeated her words so they'd sink in.

"It's a date." Dick picked up his pile of darts, glancing over at her with a smile before letting his first dart fly. He had a date with Cindy Mackenzie.

* * *

Back at the Kane residence, Duncan was raving about getting the chance to see Veronica at the carnival. Once her parents left for the Country Club, Lilly felt she needed to have a talk with Duncan. She wanted to ease into it gently, maybe even get him to see it for himself.

"Donut, what is it about V that you like so much?" She leaned her forearms on the counter, clasping the water bottle she grabbed from the fridge.

"She's smart, funny, and beautiful." He paused briefly, it seemed he was debating over his thoughts. "She doesn't seem to care what people think though. She does things that aren't exactly what Mom would call proper. I don't get it. You would think she would want to be popular and fit in with the other girls. Instead, she would rather hang out with Casablancas boys and Logan than the girls." He finally looked up at Lilly as if he was finally talking to her rather than to himself. A broad smile crossed his face. "You should convince her to join the Owl Club, Lils! She's going to need to learn how to present herself without her mom around to teach her proper etiquette."

Lilly was shocked. This is not how she expected this to go. Donut was trying to make Veronica fit into his mold rather than letting her be herself.

"NO, Donut! For the very reasons you just stated. Veronica is not a Debutante. It's just not who she is. I'm not going to convince her to be something she is not and neither should you." Lilly took a moment to calm down. She didn't want to attack her brother but he needed to understand that Veronica wasn't the girl for him. She took a deep breath and tried being straight with him. "Listen, I think you need to give up this thing you have for V. She isn't for you. You need to set your sights on someone else."

Duncan looked surprised at Lilly's change of heart. She knew he was remembering all the times she encouraged his advances toward Veronica and now she was telling him it was a mistake but he had to get this through his head. She walked around the counter and put her arms around her brother, resting her head on his chest. "I know I've encouraged you before, but I've seen the error of my ways. I don't think she is cut out for the future that you deserve for yourself. You need someone by your side like Meg, or maybe even Shelley. An actual debutante. Not Veronica. I'm sorry, Duncan."

Lilly gave him a quick squeeze, then walked out of the kitchen, leaving Duncan to his thoughts. She hoped he'd heard her.

* * *

Lilly wasn't sure she could handle the crowds at the carnival and when she shared her fears with Weevil, he suggested they hang out at home instead. He also said that if she felt up to it, she could join him at his Abuela's for their family picnic, then they could walk down to the beach after dark to watch the fireworks. Lilly loved the idea. Now that she had the house to herself, she and Rosa stocked the refrigerator with water and soda before Weevil got there.

Weevil was floating on the raft in the pool while Lilly lounged on the chair feeling sorry for herself.

"Hey Chica, you seem quiet today, are you sure you're okay?" He looked at her with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just disappointed in myself for not having the courage to go to the carnival. We go every year." She walked over to stairs leading into the pool and sat down. As she waved her hands back and forth in front of her through the water, she continued. "This is the first time Veronica's been allowed to stay out past the fireworks and I'm not going to be there to share it with her."

"If you want to try going to the carnival we can. If it's too much we'll leave." She was grateful he was trying to help but she didn't think it was going to be possible. It was hard enough joining her friends at the beach on occasion. The thought of walking through crowds of strangers made her queasy and she didn't know what she would do if she ran into him. He would certainly be there. Everyone in Neptune would be there. Except her. She would be here with Weevil behind her gated walls.

"No, I can't see that being a possibility. Let's just stick to the plan of heading over to the beach to watch the fireworks later." Weevil didn't push. He never did. He just gave her a reassuring smile and nodded his head to show he would do as she asked. Lilly dove under the water, hoping to block out the rest of the world for just a moment, as she swam to the deep end.

* * *

At the carnival, Veronica kept vigilant as she tried to identify Logan's tiny blonde girl. Her group of friends was standing huddled in a circle in the midst of the crowd. Some were chatting amongst themselves while others engaged in mayhem. Luke was using a french fry to try to smear ketchup on Shelley's nose. Duncan was teasing Meg, pulling on her braids. Enbom and Casey were playing hacky sack. Lilly was the only one Veronica hadn't seen. They'd been on every ride and played just about every game but there was no one Logan had shown a special interest in. Maybe she wasn't from their school. Maybe she was someone from Hollywood.

"Ronnie?" At the sound of her name, Veronica's focus snapped back to the here and now. She turned towards Dick, smiling as she noticed he had hold of Mac's hand.

What's that?" she asked, but Dick shook his head as if realizing that she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"Did you not just see Madison wear her soda? What has you so distracted today?" Logan sounded concerned and it made her feel guilty. He was right; she had been distracted. She was missing out on the whole day worrying about the mystery blonde who had Logan's attention. She could see the concern on all their faces and she didn't want to spoil their fun so she decided she was done dwelling on the unpleasant subject, at least for the rest of the day.

"It's nothing. Are we ready to take over the ferris wheel?" Veronica looped Logan and Dick's arms with hers and dragged them with her, Dick pulling Mac along with them.

* * *

Standing in line, Veronica was entertained as Dick and Cassidy reenacted the scene where Casey bumped into Madison, essentially spilling her soda all over her. Dick made a very convincing Madison as he squawked at Cassidy who was pretending to be an apologetic Casey. She loved every minute of it. This was how she needed to spend her time, relishing these moments with her friends instead of analyzing every move Logan made. She was congratulating the two of them for a well done performance when Coach Goodman stopped in front of them.

"Cassidy, it's good to see you." He placed a hand on Cassidy's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Happy Fourth of July, son!" Coach Goodman patted Cassidy's cheek as he smiled and nodded to the others. It was very awkward, but just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.

Veronica watched him go, her nose wrinkled in derision. She'd never thought before that someone could be too friendly but that was how she felt about Coach Goodman. Somehow, he seemed kinda creepy. Veronica turned away, not wanting to think about the man anymore but noticed Cassidy was watching him too and he looked as tense and uncomfortable as she felt. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it until he looked at her. She gave him a warm smile and he squeezed her hand back but it didn't seem to relieve his tension. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You okay?" He nodded at her and Veronica briefly rested her head on his shoulder, then released his hand.

She shuffled a step closer to Logan who was listening to Dick carrying on about some crazy thing. His arm came up around her shoulders and he hugged her against him, then glanced down, smiling. She felt her stomach flop over and had to look away, pretending to laugh at whatever Dick was saying before she embarrassed herself. She had no idea what the punchline had been until she noticed the guys had acquired boxes of poppers and were throwing them on the ground at unexpecting people's feet. She did her best to concentrate on the activity around her and not let the disappointing thought of Logan's little blonde distract her again.

* * *

Veronica and Logan were the first to board the ferris wheel. As they sat and waited for each of their friends to load into the cars, Veronica couldn't help but notice how everyone paired off as they got on. Next in line, Dick and Mac, then Cassidy and Lizzie, Enbom and Shelley, Casey and Susan, Luke and Kimmie, Sean and Carrie, and, at the end, Duncan and Meg. She wondered if the pairings meant something. Since she was sitting next to Logan, she was especially curious but then she reminded herself to live in the moment and to stop over-analyzing everything.

Logan had his arm draped over the back of the car, looking out over the carnival. It was a beautiful view and it was quieter high up above the noisy crowds. She decided to take advantage of the moment. "Today has been the best day and this view is incredible."

Logan turned towards her and smiled. "It has been incredible, all of it." A sad look fell upon his face. "I know you're tough and can handle yourself, but how are you holding up, with your mom and everything?" She had been doing well with her mother not being around. She didn't have the guts to tell Logan he was the real reason she was distracted most of the day.

"I'm doing okay. It hasn't sucked too much without her. Dad and I have gotten into a rhythm. We're okay. Thanks for worrying about us."

"Always." The way he said that made her stomach do somersaults or was that the jolt of the ferris wheel going around? She couldn't tell so she rested her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the last go-round before they were ushered off.

* * *

Veronica was excited to watch the fireworks from the yacht. She had never been allowed to join her friends for this part of their celebration. She'd been obligated to be home in time to watch them from the beach with her parents but now that it was just her and her dad, this year was different. He'd picked up an extra shift so a few of the others could spend time with their families and he let Veronica go on the yacht.

The evening started with dinner while they sailed out a few miles off shore. The last trip to TJ apparently involved bringing back preliminary entertainment. They had an array of fireworks sitting out and the launch raft was anchored to the boat. The deck was already littered with confetti from the confetti cannons that the guys had set off. They all gathered on deck after dinner, staking out the best spots among the cushions. Veronica was pleased to see Mac sitting comfortably between Dick's legs. She also noticed Meg and Duncan back on the bench against the cabin, deep in conversation. Veronica chose to sit between Dick and Logan. Cassidy was on the opposite side of Dick with Lizzie, trying to get Mac to open up about what happened between her and his brother.

"Give it up, Mackenzie, how did he con you into a dinner date? Dick isn't known for his charm."

Mac looked over and shrugged her shoulders. "We made a bet."

Cassidy started laughing. "Wait, wait, wait. So it's a pity date because you lost a bet?"

Dick rubbed his hands over Mac's arms. He was smiling so Veronica was sure there was more to this and they were playing Cassidy for a fool. Just when she thought it was going to remain a secret, Mac explained, "I WON the bet but it wasn't about whether we went on the date but rather who would end up paying for it."

"Oh really,"Veronica said with a laugh. "Maybe your brother's got more game than you thought, Cas." She looked at Dick. "So tell us what the bet was."

A huge grin spread across his face. "Darts!" Everyone burst out laughing.

Veronica gave Mac a sympathetic pat on the leg. "Sorry, Mac, you got played. If we'd known, we would have warned you. Dick is a master at darts."

"It's okay, Veronica, I figured it out pretty quick when he didn't stick a single dart to the board." Mac took Dick's hand in hers and tilted her head up to brush her lips across his cheek. "I'm partial to the big goof. I'm looking forward to our first date."

Veronica watched as Mac kept eye contact with Dick the whole time, as if she was making a confession. She sneaked a peek at Logan, wondering if she would ever have the courage to do the same. He was already looking at her and when their eyes met, she felt her cheeks warm. Luckily, Cedric started another round of bottle rockets just then and Veronica pulled her eyes away from Logan's, leaning back between he and Dick to enjoy the show.

* * *

Weevil had convinced Lilly to take a walk down the beach so they would have a better view of the fireworks. There were a few people out on the sand but not enough to make Lilly uncomfortable. At one point, she worried about Tommy finding her, but when she was with Weevil, she felt safe.

Weevil laid out the blanket they brought and they sat down facing the yacht club. As the fireworks lit the sky, Lilly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for this Weevil. I'm glad you convinced me to come."

Weevil gave her a warm smile and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

* * *

They had blown through the contraband fireworks and still had time before the yacht club's main event was scheduled to begin so they passed around the bottle of sparkling cider, filling their plastic champagne flutes for a game of Never have I ever. Casey was the first to fill his glass so he began.

"Never have I ever, stayed up all night."

Dick took a swig of his cider before responding, "That was lame, man. My turn. Never have I ever, kissed a boy." Dick said, winking at Mac still sitting between his legs. Mac lifted her cider to her lips and took a sip.

Mac looked around at the group looking to her to continue the game. She raised an eyebrow and gave them all a mischievous glare before stating,"Never have I ever, kissed a girl." Her response made Dick laugh.

It was Veronica's turn but she didn't have a clue as to what statement she should play. She ran her finger along the rim of her flute while she thought about it.

"Um, okay, never have I ever...gone swimming at night." Veronica knew it was silly but she couldn't think of anything else to say. Most of the others drank from their flutes, including Logan, Dick, and Cassidy. They may have opened up her world to a lot of new experiences but there was still a lot she hadn't experienced yet.

The lights on the deck went out just then, as a rocket of light soared into the sky bursting in color. The fireworks reflecting off the water were an amazing sight to see. Over and over again, rockets shot up out over the water and exploded. She was thankful her dad had let her come tonight; it was a spectacular sight to see. She hadn't realized how much she had been missing out over the years.

* * *

Logan watched Veronica seeing the fireworks for the first time from the yacht with a broad smile on his face. He didn't need to see the fireworks themselves, just watching her was exhilarating. He wanted to give her so many more new experiences just like this so he could feel like this again and again. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder so he could whisper in her ear. "It's spectacular, isn't it!"

She leaned back into his embrace, nodding her head to answer him. "I love the way they reflect off the water. It makes them seem larger than life." She felt good in his arms. He kissed her on her temple, ready to remain in this position for as long as she would let him.

"Happy Fourth of July, Veronica."

"Happy Fourth of July, Logan."


	10. Look Who's Stalking

Spending the holiday with her friends had been great but Veronica missed her dad. She was thankful that their standing Thursday dinner date was the next day. After spending the afternoon at the Casablancas' pool, her dad picked her up and they headed toward Mama Leone's. As they approached the Kane Mansion, Veronica noticed that now-familiar green car stopped out front. A kid dressed all in black got out and headed through the gate.

"Dad! Can you stop for a sec? I keep forgetting my headphones at Lilly's. I'll just be a minute, okay?"

Her dad pulled over to the curb. "Hurry up, please, Veronica. I'm starving."

She ran to the gate, calling over her shoulder, "Will do." She punched the code into the box and headed to the back of the house. She crept behind the hedges surrounding the pool area and peeked through to see who the mystery person was. Lilly was standing by the pool, talking to a boy as he removed his black leather jacket, t shirt, and jeans, leaving him in swim trunks. When he turned around, Veronica was shocked to see Weevil Navarro, Mrs. Navarro's grandson. Frozen in place, Veronica watched as Weevil picked Lilly up, then ran and jumped into the pool with her. Suddenly remembering that her dad was waiting for her, Veronica hurried back to the gate to rejoin her dad in the car.

For the rest of the ride to the restaurant, Veronica's thoughts ran wild. Why would Lils hide such a secret? How did her and Weevil become such good friends? Were they more than 'just friends'?

"Veronica?" Her dad's voice broke through the whirlwind in her head. "Where'd you go? Is everything okay?"

She looked up at him, embarrassed that she'd gotten so lost in what she'd just seen. She was letting her curiosity get the better of her again. "Oh, sorry, Dad. I just zoned out there." She smiled at him and tried to focus on the here and now instead of letting herself get caught up in this Lilly mystery. She knew that was one of the hardest things for her. She wanted to live in the moment and stop over-analysing everything; find a balance between solving the mystery and just enjoying the experience. It was hard though, with such an explosive secret in front of her.

Veronica suddenly remembered how much she enjoyed seeing the fireworks from the yacht and that reminded her she hadn't thanked her dad yet for letting her go.

"Oh hey, thanks for letting me go on the yacht, Pops! I had the best time. Seeing the fireworks from the yacht was spectacular!"

"I'm glad you had a great time. You deserved it. I'm sorry things have been so difficult lately. If you ever need to talk about it, I'm here for you."

"I know you are, Daddy. I'm so lucky that I have you and my friends. You're all I need." Veronica truly believed that. She would be able to get through anything as long as she had her dad and her friends by her side.

* * *

Fourth of July couldn't have gone any better for Dick. Mac made it clear that she liked him. Having her beside him all evening on the yacht was more than he could hope for and, just when he didn't think it could get any better, she'd kissed him. Granted, it was a only a chaste kiss on the cheek, but her soft lips on his skin made his toes curl. He didn't want the evening to end. This has been the longest forty-eight hours of Dick's life.

Yesterday he'd tried distracting himself staying busy all day: surfing with the guys, goofing around in the pool, then going to the boardwalk. For the most part it worked. He only thought about his upcoming date with Mac a few thousand times. He didn't sleep well, dreaming about everything that could go wrong on their date. This morning, he'd gone surfing again in order to relax, but after all the activity, he was worried he was going to be too tired on his date so he made a point to nap.

Now he was showered and dressed, headed to Mac's with a bouquet of wildflowers in hand. He knew Mac wasn't into fancy clothes, fancy foods, or fancy flowers. So he planned a night at Gameland.

* * *

After spending the morning surfing, Veronica and Logan were left to their own devices for the rest of the day. Dick wanted to take a nap before his date with Mac and Cassidy said he had plans. He was very vague about where he was going and curiosity was again getting the best of her. It wasn't her fault; her friends were just keeping too many secrets. First Lilly and now Cassidy. Today though, the excitement of sleuthing around to discover their secrets had an upside. She could include Logan and that let her spend the day with him and satisfy her curiosity at the same time.

Cassidy was easy to follow. After leaving them on the beach, he headed straight for the boardwalk, stopping at Amy's Ice Cream. Logan and Veronica were hanging back near where the beach met the boardwalk when Veronica noticed Lizzie Manning getting out of the limo parked in the lot.

"Logan, look!" Veronica pointed in Lizzie's direction, then scrambled up onto the boulder they'd been leaning against, trying to get higher so she had a better view.

"Well, what do you know. Cassidy has a date too. With Lizzie Manning!" She heard the humor in Logan's voice at the realization.

Veronica was disappointed. "Why wouldn't he tell us? Surely he'd know that we'd be happy for him."

Logan looked at her and smiled. "Maybe he is just testing the waters to see first, before subjecting himself to your matchmaking ways." He laughed and she poked him. She knew she had good intentions. She just wanted her friends to be happy. As she watched them, , she could tell they enjoyed being together. She didn't bother responding to Logan; she knew he was teasing. She just settled on the rock, resting against Logan where he leaned against it, and they watched the unexpected couple enjoying their ice cream, and each other's company.

"Logan," she said, after she realized they'd just been spying for a couple minutes.

"Huh?" He sounded startled.

"I think our work is done here, but we've got one more mystery to investigate tonight."

Logan laughed and shook his head before he grabbed her hand to help her off the rock.

* * *

Cedrick pulled up to Gameland and opened the door for Mac and Dick. She was excited when Dick told her where they were going; she'd heard about this place but had never actually been. She didn't know anyone who was as into this stuff as she was. It was nice knowing that now she could come here with Dick. He lead her to a table in the corner, out of the way of the main gaming area.

"I hope this is okay; I wanted to be sure we had a place where we could hear each other while we ate."

Mac smiled. "This is great!" She was glad that he wanted to actually talk and get to know each other instead of just coming to play. Dick was fun and playful, but he was also smart and creative. She knew there was a lot more going on in that head of his than he let just anyone see. She'd also noticed that he was a great friend. She'd seen how he checked on Veronica, watching out for her, making sure she was doing okay after everything that happened with her mom. Cassidy might complain about him sometimes but, more often than not, his stories put Dick on a pedestal. She felt that he was getting a bad rap from his clownish way.

While they waited for their food to arrive, they talked about which games they'd like to play while they were here. Dick suggested that since they didn't have time to play every game they wanted, they should pick the least crowded and come back another time to play the others. Mac liked the idea of Dick already planning future dates. To get to know each other better, they played twenty questions while they ate. Mac was having a great time and the smile never left Dick's face so she was sure that he was enjoying himself too. It really was the perfect first date.

* * *

On the drive over to the Kanes' for Veronica's next investigation, Logan warned her that curiosity killed the cat and that she should be careful about snooping around to figure out everyone's secrets. He agreed to have Ben drive them over anyway. It would be easier to keep her out of trouble, and he'd take any excuse he could find to just be with her. He wasn't sure he wanted to believe her when she said that Lilly was hanging out with Weevil, but he knew she wouldn't lie to him. Now they were hiding out in the Kane's bushes, watching Lilly and Weevil as they ate lunch and chatted.

"What do you think you are going to learn from this, Ronnie?" The longer this went on, the more he realized that this wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend his day with her. He enjoyed doing anything with Veronica, however he could think of other things they could be doing together, like ice cream at Amy's, picnic on the beach, or a movie with popcorn.

"Lo, something happened to Lilly, and now she seems to really enjoy Weevil's company. Haven't you noticed that her high school makeover only lasted a couple of days? And when she is hanging out with us, she's always on guard, cautious. Look at her with him. She's carefree, open, at peace. She hasn't been that way for a while." Logan had to be honest. He really hadn't paid much attention to Lilly but as Veronica laid out everything she'd noticed, he had to admit she was right. Lilly had changed.

"Okay, Ronnie, you're right, but now what? How do you figure out what's changed? Are you going to jump out and scream 'gotcha!' and expect Lilly to confess?"

Logan saw the sadness in Veronica's eyes. He didn't think she'd thought that far ahead, but then he realized that he'd underestimated her. Her voice was soft and full of concern. "No, I don't want to interrupt them. He clearly makes her happy. I just needed to see it for myself. She's keeping him a secret for a reason. I'm just sorry she feels like she has to."

Logan suddenly understood the real reason they were there. Veronica knew about them but she just wanted to see what Weevil's role in Lilly's life was. He was pretty sure that at this point, they'd seen all they were going to here. Continuing to spy on Lilly and Weevil had no further purpose. They were just intruding on what looked like a private time. "Come on, V, let's go back to Amy's. Hopefully Cas and Lizzie are gone by now and I can buy you an ice cream without spying on anyone." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and turned her away from the private moment.

* * *

Back at Gameland, Dick and Mac were in a battle playing Final Fantasy Chronicles. During their game of twenty questions, they realized that they were both looking forward to the new Final Fantasy X to be released later in the month. They made plans to play it when it was released. They figured FFC was the perfect game for them to play as a prequel to the upcoming event.

Mac hadn't realized they had lost track of time until Cedrick came in and told them it was time to leave for the grand finale of Dick's plans. She turned to look at Dick with a shocked look on her face. "How could you possibly make this evening any better?"

Dick gave a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders. "I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't be able to resist saying yes the next time I asked you out." He put his hand on the small of her back and led her out to the car.

As they rode to the next destination, Mac sat next to Dick, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. Looking down, she noticed his hand casually resting on his lap and she reached over to pick it up. When he intertwined his fingers with hers, she closed her eyes, soaking in the moment. It felt like it was only seconds later when the car stopped. She opened her eyes, seeing they were at a dessert shop, and turned to look up at Dick. He was smiling at her.

"You can't end the evening without dessert."

She snuggled back into his embrace, hugging him as she spoke into his shirt. "Best date ever!"

* * *

On the way back to town, Logan decided to take Veronica to the dessert shop just off the boardwalk. He'd originally planned to take her back to Amy's but he thought that it would be more fun to watch her eat her fill of whatever sweets her heart desired. He knew she liked to people watch so he'd guided her to the back booth where they could have some privacy and watch everyone coming and going. Now, sitting in front of her, she had an array of cookies, petit fours, and a milkshake. He and Veronica had been taste testing the petit four sampler when the door chimed, announcing new arrivals. Looking up, Logan watched Dick and Mac walk in, arms around each other. They didn't notice Logan and Veronica at first, walking straight to the counter to order. Logan watched Veronica as she watched their friends.

"Should we tell them we're here?" he whispered in her ear. She glanced at him and his sharp intake of breath at how close they were was matched by hers. They stared at each other, unmoving, and all he wanted was to kiss her. They were startled apart by Dick's voice. "Yo Logan, V, _como te va_?"

Logan had to laugh from embarrassment, partially from the situation he had just been in and also from Dick's intrusion on it. He couldn't believe he'd been about to kiss Veronica. Mac walked over to the table while Dick waited at the counter for the order.

"Hey Mac! How was, or shall I say is, your date?" Logan sat back in his seat and stretched his arms over the back of the booth, watching as Veronica questioned her about their evening. Mac's face lit up as she recapped the date.

"He took me to Gameland. I'd never been there before. I've never had so much fun. He promised to take me back again sometime." Mac glanced back at Dick standing at the counter with a smile on her face. "Just when I thought Cedrick was coming to tell us it was time to head home, he surprised me by bringing me here."

"Sounds perfect," Veronica said after taking a sip of her milkshake. Dick joined them and handed Mac her ice cream.

"What's perfect?" he asked before taking a bite of his pie a la mode.

Veronica pushed the platter of cakes and cookies towards Mac and Dick. "More sugar?" Mac picked up a cookie and Dick grabbed a cake. Veronica left the plate in the middle of the table and leaned back, resting against Logan's side. She fit perfectly. Dick gave him a knowing smile and Logan leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling to avoid Dick's eyes as Veronica continued the conversation. "Mac says she had a great time tonight."

"We had an amazing time! Gameland was a blast! We are definitely going back soon." Logan grinned at the excitement in Dick's voice.

"So then, I guess this means the two of you are dating now?"

"Dude, what else do you think we've been doing all night?" Dick looked back and forth between him and Veronica; the smirk on his face was making Logan nervous. "Oh, right, you aren't familiar, let me explain." Logan didn't like where this was headed and he raised his head to fix Dick with a glare but it didn't make any difference. "So Dude, when a guy and a girl have a lot in common, they love spending time together and being there for each other. They go to the beach, the boardwalk, out to eat...those activities, when done together, are called dates. The guy and the girl ARE dating. You got me?"

Logan frowned and Dick cackled. Logan got him alright, but he hoped Veronica didn't. He'd told Dick before that ruining his friendship with Veronica was something he couldn't live with. He had a strong urge to punch Dick in the arm but that kind of action was sure to get Veronica's attention. Now at least, she was distracted by all the sweets. Instead, Logan reached across the table and Dick mirrored his behavior, fist bumping over the petit fours. "Thanks for the lesson, Man."

Dick swallowed the last bite of his pie. "That's what I'm here for, keeping you straight."

* * *

Last night had been amazing. Seeing Mac and Dick happy together was rewarding. Veronica wanted that for all of her friends, and, despite her own wants, that included Logan. She had to find the girl Dick had mentioned on the beach; it has been weeks. Before departing the Dessert Shop, Veronica asked Mac to come over to her place in the morning before they hit the beach. She had been in search of this tiny blonde and wasn't having any luck. She figured between her, Mac, and Lilly, they would finally solve this mystery. They needed to create a game plan. All three girls were sitting on a blanket, sunglasses on, backs towards each other, scanning the beach in all directions. Saturday mornings were the best time to find everyone who is anyone at Dog Beach. The boys had tried getting them to come out on the water but they were on a mission. Unfortunately, it was now close to lunchtime and they didn't know any more than they had when they started.

"Veronica, why don't you just ask him?" Mac asked as she opened another bottle of water.

"I can't; I don't think he wants me to know. I won't pry." Veronica pouted.

Lilly let out a chuckle, "Oh, but you will stalk every girl in Neptune instead."

"I don't get it, ever since Dick mentioned it, I've been on the lookout. He doesn't give any one particular girl special attention. I just need to figure out who this tiny blonde is!"

"What's this now?" Veronica turned to Cassidy as he and Dick approached the blanket, stabbing their boards in the sand. Dick sat down next to Mac, giving her a kiss on the cheek and Cassidy dropped to his knees in front of the cooler, grabbing a water. He tossed one to Dick and kept one for himself.

"Nothing. I've just been trying to find someone." Veronica turned towards the ocean, watching Logan ride in on a wave. As she watched him, she heard Cassidy.

"You're looking for a tiny blonde? That's hilarious."

Veronica turned towards Cassidy with a frown; he was mocking her. "Why is that so hilarious?"

Cassidy shrugged his shoulders and took a swig from the water bottle. Replacing the cap, he grinned and said, "Because that's how Logan describes you!"


	11. Drinking the Kool-Aid

"You're looking for a tiny blonde? That's hilarious." Amused by the conversation he'd overheard, Cassidy chuckled as he settled on the blanket in front of her. Veronica had a scornful look on her face. She wasn't finding this as funny as he was.

"Why is that so hilarious?" The tone in her voice was not pleasant. He took a drink of water and replaced the cap before he enlightened her.

"Because that's how Logan describes you!" Cassidy was pleased with himself. Veronica was so inquisitive yet she couldn't, or wouldn't, see what was right in front of her. She just stared at him with her mouth hanging open, briefly closing it, then opening it again as she searched for what to say. For a moment, he was thrilled. He'd actually left her speechless.

Both Lilly and Mac turned to face him, wordless surprise on their faces as well. Cassidy glanced over to Dick and saw his head bowed towards his chest, his shoulders rising and falling in deep breaths. Cassidy wasn't sure if he was laughing or not. He obviously had some insight into this scenario as well.

"This whole time you have been looking for a tiny blonde and you've been obsessing over yourself?" Lilly sounded amused. "I should have seen this. Why didn't I see this?"

"You okay, Veronica?" Mac's voice was full of concern.

Veronica still hadn't said anything. Cassidy leaned forward and put his hand on her arm. "V, talk to me. What are you thinking?" Cassidy hoped he hadn't make a mistake. Maybe Logan was right and she didn't feel the same way he did. _What if I just ruined everything?_

* * *

Veronica was sure she hadn't heard him right. There was no way that Logan had meant her. Could he? She wanted to ask Cassidy a million questions but she couldn't seem to make words form on her tongue. She just stared at him; complete thoughts escaping her. She felt his hand on her arm and she tried to focus on his face. He was talking to her, she could see his mouth moving, but what was he saying? All this time, her and Logan? Could he really feel the same way she did?

"Cassidy?"

He looked at her, worry in his eyes."Yeah, V?"

There was a roaring sound in her head. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to ask. "Cas, Logan doesn't...does Logan…" She couldn't get the words out. She just had to get away, clear her head. Veronica jumped up from the blanket.

"Ronnie, wait!" She could finally hear Cassidy's voice but it was behind her as she ran down the beach.

* * *

Cassidy got up to chase after Veronica and make sure she was okay but his brother's voice stopped him.

"Let her go, Cas. We need to get Logan. He needs to be the one to go after her."

Cassidy nodded. Dick was right. They needed Logan. His glee at surprising his inquisitive friend was gone, replaced with guilt. It was his fault that Veronica ran away. He should've just kept his mouth shut. He saw Dick kiss the top of Mac's head and stand up and Cassidy followed him.

"Dick, do you think I made a mistake telling her?"

"No, man, it's about time those two admit their feelings to each other. And really, I'm the one who started this by toying with that curiosity of hers." Dick turned towards Mac and Lilly. "Sorry, ladies, but I started this and I need to finish it. If you'll excuse us, we've got a confession to make to our friend out there."

Dick headed down toward the water and Cassidy followed, stepping into the surf just as Logan was paddling in. He must've seen Veronica take off down the beach because he had a look of concern on his face. "Where was Veronica going?"

Cassidy didn't know how to explain what had just happened so he was grateful when Dick spoke up. "Listen, man, I might have started something. A while back, when you ditched us because you were sick, Lilly happened to be sick too. I was teasing Ronnie about the two of you and she asked if you had a thing for Lils. I told her that Lilly wasn't the tiny blonde you couldn't stop thinking about." Logan reached up and ran his hand nervously through his wet hair.

"What happened, Dick?" Logan sounded frustrated.

Dick let out a deep sigh before he answered. "I guess she's been trying to figure out who the tiny blonde is ever since. Until today... Cassidy just told her."

"I'm sorry, Logan. The two of you have been dancing around each other forever. She seemed jealous. I thought telling her would get you two to finally admit how you feel." Cassidy truly was sorry.

"What do you think's gonna happen if she doesn't love me back, Cas?" Logan threw his board down in the sand and took off after Veronica.

* * *

Logan ran down the shore, dodging beach goers. For someone with such short legs, she sure ran fast. He hadn't spotted her, but how far could she have gone? Logan stopped and looked around. There wasn't anything in front of him other than a long stretch of crowded beach. He'd passed two lifeguard towers and a parking lot, but he hadn't seen her. Where could she have gone? He walked a bit further, looking around. Finally, just past a couple of boys with boogie boards, he saw her. She was sitting at the edge of the surf, staring out over the water. Logan took a deep breath and pushed himself forward, towards her.

Veronica never looked his way as he sat down beside her until he spoke. "Hey, Ronnie." She glanced at him for just a moment, then back to the shore washing over her feet.

"Hey, Lo."

She was talking to him at least. That seemed like a good sign. He mimicked her position, his arms resting on his knees. "Whatcha' doin' way down here? We're all up there." He jerked his head back toward their starting point.

She didn't look up, just continued to play with the sand in front of her. "I needed to clear my head."

"You wanna talk about it?" Logan asked. He didn't want to admit to himself how scared he was to have this conversation; he was afraid he was going to say something to sabotage any chance he had with her.

"You warned me and I didn't listen." Logan stared at her, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "You told me curiosity killed the cat. I just don't want this to kill me."

Realization suddenly dawned on him. She was as unsure about his feelings as he was about hers. "Veronica." He swallowed hard, knowing that one of them had to say something to start this and it looked like it was going to have to be him. "Veronica, what made you run off?"

She still wouldn't look at him; she just kept drawing tracks in the sand. "Dick said you liked a tiny blonde...Cassidy said you called me a tiny blonde." She looked up then and he smiled at her. He could tell she was trying to read him so he did his best to make it easy for her. He reached up to brush back the hair that had fallen over her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"I do."

She straightened up and turned to face him. "You do what? Like a tiny blonde, or call me a tiny blonde?" She wasn't running and he took that as a good sign.

"Both." Logan chuckled. "You are my very favorite tiny blonde." He ran his hand down the arm she had folded around her legs and twined his fingers with hers. "And yeah, I do like you." He looked her in the eyes. He'd opened up this far he wasn't going to stop now. "Honestly, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you. Probably since the first day I saw you on the soccer field in your shorts and knee socks, but I've been trying to keep it to myself. I couldn't lose the best friend I've ever had, if you didn't love me the same way."

He wanted to kiss her but he still wasn't completely sure that was what she wanted. He had poured his heart out to her and she hadn't said anything. She was just staring at their joined hands. He was struggling to find something else to say, anything, that could fix this, when she looked up at him. "Logan, I hadn't realized that I wanted you to be more than just my best friend until that day we went deep sea fishing. You're the one I want to run to when I need a hug. It's you that I find myself thinking about constantly. I've been driving myself crazy in search of this mystery girl." She turned away from him, but never let go of his hand.

"Veronica?" Logan called to her, squeezing her hand. "Hey, where did you go?"

Veronica turned back to him, looking as if she was going to cry. Logan pulled on her hand. "Come here," he said as he drew her into his lap. He sat criss crossed in the sand with Veronica curled up on his lap. She was focused on his hand as she fiddled with his fingers.

"So, you and me?" Her voice was barely above a whisper over the rush of the waves.

Logan removed his hand from her grasp and reached up, tilting her chin so he could see her face. When their eyes met, he smiled at her and nodded. She smiled back at him as he asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Veronica's smile grew even bigger as she nodded eagerly and Logan laughed. Moving his hand from her chin, then sliding it to her cheek, he pulled her forward until their lips met.

* * *

Cassidy had been cursing himself since Logan took off down the beach. They'd been gone for almost an hour. He hoped he hadn't ruined Logan and Veronica's friendship. How could he be so stupid?

"Cas, you need to calm down. They're gonna work this out." Dick had been trying to get him to relax while they waited for Logan and Veronica to return. Cassidy turned to his brother who was sitting on the blanket with Mac in his arms while Lilly picked at the container of blueberries.

"How can you be so sure? She looked horrified when I told her and then she ran off. Oh geez, Logan is going to kill me." Cassidy threw himself down in the sand. He didn't deserve the comfort of the blanket. He was a horrible friend. He could hear Dick laughing at him.

"Dick, be nice, he feels really bad about this," Mac scolded.

"Yeah, I know, but he looks so pathetic. If he'll just chill out and actually think it through, he'll realize that Logan's got this handled. They're gonna walk up the beach towards us, holding hands, with the biggest grins on their faces. It will make us sick at how sweet it will look."

Cassidy turned his head just enough to look at Dick. Could he be right? Making them aware of each other's feelings was the whole reason he'd said anything in the first place. It was time they both acknowledged liking each other; he'd just wanted to give them that push. Cassidy sat up and faced the direction the two had ran off. He was going to wait for that Kodak moment Dick had just predicted.

* * *

Cassidy scanned the beach while his friends chatted about vacation plans they had with their respective families. It was getting to the point in the summer when everyone was going to start family vacations. They needed those lavish trips to write about in their, 'What I did on my summer vacation.' essays. The conversation was interrupted with Mac's greeting.

"Hi, Lizzie."

"Hi, Mac."

Lizzie sat down beside him in the sand. "Hey, Cassidy," He glanced over at her.

"Oh, hi, Liz." He greeted her quickly then returned to watching over the beach. He was slightly distracted to say the least. He wasn't being deliberately rude to her; in fact, he liked her, alot. When they met up for ice cream, he'd had a great time. The problem was that his priority at the moment was needing to be sure that Logan and Veronica were going to be okay but he didn't want her thinking he was ignoring her on purpose.

"Sorry, Lizzie, I'm watching out for Logan and Veronica. I'm afraid I might have caused something and I'm just waiting for them to come back." Not wanting to take his eyes off the beach, he only gave her quick glances to be sure she recognized his intent.

"Yeah, it's okay, Cassidy. I just saw you guys sitting here and thought I would come by and say hi. Maybe hang out with you for awhile."

He turned to look at her, sorry for his distraction. If Logan and V would get back here already, then he and Lizzie could just hang out.

"Uh, yeah, sure, I'd like that." He paused for a moment. "Maybe you could help me watch out for them. Then, when they get back, we could go do something. Just the two of us." Cassidy made a point to make eye contact this time. He wanted to reassure her that he meant it and to be sure she enjoyed hanging out with him too. When she rewarded him with a smile that lit up her whole face, he blushed.

"I'd like that too."

* * *

Logan and Veronica took their time as they walked back to their friends, sharing moments of jealousy with each other. Veronica reacting to Dick teasing her about him and Lilly. Logan sulking at the thought of Veronica spending the day with Duncan. Each story reassured the other that they'd had nothing to worry about all along. When they neared their friends, Veronica saw Cassidy sitting with Lizzie. She could tell the moment he saw them, holding hands as they walked towards him. His face was cautious and he had a hold on Lizzie's hand, pulling her with him as he rose to his knees. Veronica glanced at Logan, then back at Cassidy. He had to see that it all worked out. She couldn't mistake the happiness on Logan's face and she was sure hers was irrefutable. She could only imagine what Cassidy had put himself through thinking the worst when she took off like that. She was prepared to assure him that she didn't blame him but before she could say anything, she heard Dick's shout.

"Sickening sweet, didn't I call it!"

Cassidy ran up to them. "I am so sorry, V, I really didn't mean to hurt you. Logan, I didn't. I just wanted to see the two of you happy. Like this." Cassidy waved his hands between the two of them. Logan gave Cassidy a pat on the shoulder.

"It's all good, man. Don't sweat it."

Veronica let go of Logan's hand, reaching out to give Cassidy a hug. "Thanks, Cas," she whispered in his ear before pulling back to stand next to Logan. The grin on Cassidy's face reassured her that he knew they were okay.

"All right, sit, sit, I want all the juicy details. The two of you have been gone for over an hour." Veronica turned her attention to her BFF who was sitting on the blanket with a salacious grin.

"Always the gossip girl!" Veronica said with a laugh as she dropped onto the blanket next to her. Logan and Dick shared a ritual handshake in greeting, before Logan positioned himself behind Veronica, pulling her back to lean against him. She tilted her head back against his chest, relaxing into him. They'd always been physical but she noticed how much more it meant now, assuring her how he felt.

Dick turned to her. "Happiness looks good on you, Ronnie." Veronica smiled at him. She was happy. Despite all the negative, in this moment she was truly happy. She had her friends, she had Logan, and she had her Dad. She didn't need any of those other people in this world.


	12. Like A Vacation

Neptune wasn't exactly known as a destination vacation, except for Spring Break when the college kids moved in on the beachfront. July was the point in the summer when everyone who could afford to leave town for a couple of weeks would do so. It left the town feeling barren with the comings and goings of all the locals.

The Monday after the Fourth of July, Mac and her family left for their annual camping trip. When Mac left, Dick moped around for a little while until they made plans to have their own mini sailing vacation. The hardest sell was Veronica's dad, but, with the help of Mrs. Echolls, he was finally convinced. He interviewed the security team that the Casablancas's hired to accompany the kids to act as chaperones for their three day trip. Lilly, Duncan, Meg, Lizzie, Cassidy, Dick, Logan, and Veronica sailed up the coast to Catalina. The boat wasn't large enough for everyone to stay on board so, once they arrived, they got checked into two suites in the hotel, one for the girls and another for the boys, and then met up for dinner. The following day, everyone learned how to scuba dive, visited Shark Harbor, and went deep sea fishing. The last night before sailing back, they had a bonfire on the beach.

Veronica found herself sitting on a log with Logan beside her, staring into the fire. She thought about the people who were here with her and how so much had changed in such a short time. Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly registered the feeling of Logan's hand rubbing small circles on her back. She looked up at him with a smile and he smiled a half smile back at her that quickly disappeared, replaced with a look of concern.

"You okay?" She nodded her head in reply. "You were lost in your head for a while."

"Just thinking. So much has changed. Things might get hard over the next couple of weeks. I mean, look at Mac. She only became part of our group recently but you can see, with her gone, we're feeling the impact." She looked over at Dick who was carrying on with Lilly. He was having a good time, but she'd heard him talk about Mac a few times today: Mac would love this or Mac did that. "It's strange, I didn't think about these things before. Now, I think about my mom and how the decisions she made had an affect on everyone around her...I just want the people I care about to be happy."

Logan moved his hand up her back and into her hair, tilting her head towards him and kissing the side of her head. "Look around. Right now, they're happy. I'm happy. Are you?" Again she nodded, putting a smile on his face. "I'm especially happy that I have no plans to be away from you anytime soon," Logan said, kissing her again. "Let's focus on that."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Logan was right. Dwelling on what might go wrong took away from her enjoying these moments and she didn't want to do that. It wasted the happy times and she knew they didn't last forever.

* * *

A week after Mac left, Dick and Cassidy headed to Europe to visit their mom. Time without Dick, Cassidy, or Mac around gave Veronica and Logan a lot of time alone together. They enjoyed the boardwalk, surfing, and lounging by the pool. On Saturday night, the Echolls had a charity function in L.A., so Logan spent the night at her house.

With the change in their relationship, her dad put some new rules in place. Veronica knew that her dad liked Logan and that he was happy to see her happy, but he wasn't about to give them the same freedoms that he had before. Instead of letting them stay up late by themselves, he sat in the kitchen, reading at the counter, and no one slept with their bedroom doors shut. Even though Veronica had assured her dad that he had nothing to worry about, that she and Logan were nowhere near ready for _that_ kind of relationship, his response was enough to end her questioning.

"Honey, I trust you and I trust Logan. But everyone gets carried away sometimes and mistakes happen." His eyes were sad and, from his voice, she was pretty sure that he was talking about more than just her and Logan. When she thought about it, he really wasn't asking for much.

"It's fine, Dad, I understand. Thanks for trusting us." She gave him a quick hug. "Don't spend too much time worrying about us, if you can help it." She smiled and moved into the kitchen. "We're making pizza, right? Come on, I'm starving."

Logan showed up not too long after and they all had a fun evening. Instead of her dad hanging out alone in the kitchen, they convinced him to join them watching a South Park marathon before everyone headed off to bed.

"Mr. Mars, you have to take a weekend and come sailing to Catalina with us," Logan suggested as he sat back down on the couch next to Veronica with a fresh bowl of popcorn. During dinner, they'd talked about all the things they'd seen and done while on the trip.

Her dad stood behind his chair, resting his hands on the back of it. "You want to hang with this old man? I don't want to cramp your style."

Veronica laughed at him. Sure, he was thinning on the top but even she would admit he was far from an old man.

"You're not old, Pops! Come on, it will be fun." He walked around to the front of the chair and sat down. "And honestly. Open bedroom doors and constant supervision? You're all about cramping style." They all laughed.

"You might be right. But you guys would really want to take a vacation together?" He seemed genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, Dad, it would be fun! You're working so much and we've hardly had any daddy/daughter time all summer." Veronica realized just how excited she really was at Logan's suggestion and it seemed that Logan wanted it too because he was trying hard to convince her dad to agree.

"Come on, Mr. Mars, you guys have got a lot going on, but you need to have some fun too. We've got a few more weeks before school starts up again. You're the boss—you must be able to get some time off to go."

"All right, Logan, you've convinced me. I'll check the calendar when I go into the office tomorrow. Satisfied?"

"Yep. Now let's get this show going again. We've got a lot of South Park to watch before dawn." Her dad groaned and Veronica laughed as she pushed play on the remote.

* * *

Lilly seemed to be spending a lot of time alone, or rather, with Weevil. Veronica didn't want to push Lilly too much but hiding the fact that she knew her secret was wearing on her. After spending the day at the beach with Logan, she decided to invite Lilly over for a sleepover.

"It's nice to get a night for just you and me, Lils." Veronica brought the popcorn and set it on the coffee table amongst the nail polish bottles and facial scrub. Lilly walked out of the kitchen carrying their sodas.

"It has been too long. I'm glad we get to do this before I leave." Sitting criss-crossed on the couch, Lilly handed Veronica her soda. Joining Lilly, she surveyed the table. "I think we have everything; mani, pedi, facial, rom-com, and junk food." Veronica picked up the remote and started the movie.

The junk food was gone, the movie was over, and their nails were drying. Veronica sipped her soda, listening to Lilly go on about Matthew McConaughey. "He is soo HOT!" She'd been trying to work up the courage to have a long overdue conversation but she finally realized there was never going to be a good time so she might as well get on with it.

"Lilly, what's going on between you and Weevil?"

Lilly looked surprised at the interruption at first, pausing as she took a sip from her own straw before answering. "How long have you known?"

"A while. I've been hoping you would tell me, but you never did."

"I'm sorry V, I just didn't know how to. He isn't exactly a part of our crowd. I didn't know how anyone would react and I like having him around. I didn't want to ruin it."

"I get that. I do. But I also think that you should've given us a chance. We're your friends, Lilly, we care." Lilly gave Veronica a disbelieving look. "Sure,people like Madison or Kimmie would have something to say, but who cares what they think. It only matters what you think. Your real friends, won't care."

"I don't know…" Lilly clearly wasn't convinced.

"Look, I'm not saying he has to go surfing with us, or be around every time we hang out. I'm just saying you don't have to keep him hidden. If he makes you happy, we're happy for you." Veronica gave her best friend a warm smile, hoping she would open up and take a chance.

* * *

The Kanes, Logan, and Veronica had just short of a week to spend time with Mac before the Kanes left for France. The day after she came back from her camping trip with her family, she joined them at the beach.

"Ladies and gents, what big happenings did I miss these past two weeks?" she called to them as she approached.

Veronica looked up from where she was lying as Logan applied another round of sunscreen to her back to address Mac. "Mac! How was family bonding time?"

Mac grabbed a water from the nearby cooler and dropped onto the blanket. "It was very 'Leave it to Beaver'. I'm glad to be back. So, come on, tell me. What did I miss?"

Propping herself up on her forearms as Logan continued to massage the lotion into her shoulders, Veronica enlightened Mac on what she had missed out on. "Well, in order to distract your boy, we went sailing to Catalina. After they left, we've just been hitting the boardwalk and mastering the art of California beach bumming. Anything fun or exciting happen during your vacation?"

"Not unless you count wrangling a bear for food or scavenging a beehive for honey. Seriously though, it was very relaxing being boring. I honestly had fun, but I'm definitely glad to be back."

Veronica smiled and ducked her face back onto her forearms. Mac's vacation was a lot different than the vacations everyone else was taking; the MacKenzies were much more low key.

Her head snapped up again when Lilly's voice broke into the conversation. Veronica had thought she was asleep. "Any big plans between now and when Dick and Cassidy get back?"

Veronica didn't know about everyone else but she was sure she didn't have anything planned. She was enjoying the uneventfulness of the last few days. Other than the trip to Catalina with her dad, they really hadn't planned anything for the rest of the summer. She was happy to hear Mac's idea matched her own.

"The plan is to have no plans." said Mac.

Veronica understood why Mac and Dick worked so well. They may have been complete opposites in a lot of ways but they complemented each other. Veronica felt like she had really gained an amazing friend getting to know Mac.

The rest of the week felt like a real vacation. With no real plans, they spent their days lounging by the pool and sunning on the beach. One day, they even had a picnic in the park. Lilly still hadn't brought Weevil around, but she was talking about him and sharing a few stories of the time they'd spent together. The week flew by and the last night before Lilly left for Paris, they had a girls-only slumber party at Veronica's.

* * *

A few days later, Veronica and Mac were at Logan's house, lounging by the pool. They knew that Dick and Cassidy were coming back to town soon, but they weren't sure exactly when they'd show up. Logan was laying on the lounge chair with Veronica perched on the edge beside him, turned to face Mac. He'd been drawing words on Veronica's back, distracting her from the conversation. Mac was showing Veronica the storyboard for a new program when Veronica saw movement through the sliding glass door leading into the house.

Veronica jumped up screaming as she ran towards the house just as Dick walked out. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him in a bear hug. Dick laughed, carrying her easily back to Logan and Mac. "I missed you too, Ronnie!" He set Veronica back on her feet in front of the now standing Logan, exchanging a fist bump with him before turning to Mac, wrapping her up in a hug.

Smiling at the scene, Veronica turned away from the reunion to Cassidy, throwing her arms around him. "It's so good to have you back, Cas. It's not the same here without you guys. How were things with your mom?"

Returning her hug, Cassidy replied, "She's good, V, but I missed you too. I have to say that I'm a little surprised though. I didn't think you would've missed us enough to nearly plow us over with this guy around." He grinned and jerked his head in Logan's direction. "You tired of him already?"

Veronica heard Logan chuckle behind her. She stepped away from Cassidy, leaning back into Logan as he wrapped his arms around her. "Not a chance. I'm just glad you guys are back. It's been quiet around here."

"We're here to swim," Dick interjected, pulling his shirt up over his head. "So, how 'bout it, Mackie? You gonna join me?" He dove in from the side of the pool, calling out as he surfaced, "Come on, Logan, grab your girl, and join in."

Despite hearing Dick's suggestion, Veronica was still startled when Logan picked her up and carried her to the edge of the pool, walking right in. His hands never left her as they sunk into the water or when they rushed upwards, breaking the surface with a splash. She grabbed the side of the pool to hold them above water. Veronica wiped the water from her face as she looked towards Dick who was treading water below the diving board, laughing at them. Mac was on the diving board just above Dick, but then she jumped in just behind him, pulling him under the water by his shoulders. They surfaced in the shallow end with Mac sitting on Dick's shoulders.

"Hey, Ronnie, how about a chicken fight?" Dick called out. Without a word, Logan ducked underwater so Veronica could climb on his shoulders, then he carried her to square off against Dick and Mac. Cassidy jumped in to referee and they spent the rest of the afternoon splashing in the refreshing water.

* * *

The Mannings were the last ones to return to Neptune after spending two weeks in the Bahamas. Lizzie had called Cassidy to let him know she and Meg would be at the yacht club so Duncan, Dick, Cassidy, Logan, Mac, and Veronica met up with them for dinner. When they were finished, the rest of the gang had already made their way out to the limo, but Logan had stopped to speak to a friend of his parents so they were hurrying to catch up as they made their way out of the club, Veronica walking backwards, pulling Logan after her. They were nearly to the exit when she bumped into someone.

"Excuse me," Veronica said, not even turning her head to see who she'd collided with, as she made faces at Logan. It wasn't until she saw his eyes widen and heard a familiar voice that she stopped moving. Logan caught up to her and she wrapped herself in his arms before turning to face the man she just bumped into.

"Veronica. Logan." Mr. Kane stood in front of them and Veronica's stomach lurched. She hadn't seen him since the beginning of the summer, before she knew about his affair with her mother. She heard Logan greet him and heard more conversation but she was having a hard time focusing.

"Veronica, honey." Veronica tightened her grip on Logan. She hadn't spoken to her mother since the day she confronted her and now she was standing a few feet behind Mr. Kane. She watched as her mother walked up to them and slipped her arm around his. As she watched her cling to Mr. Kane, Veronica felt Logan's hand take hold of hers at his waist. "Darling, it's so good to see you, isn't it, Jake? And she's with Logan. Veronica dear, you're with Logan? How did that happen? I've missed so much." Her mother sounded drunk rambling on like that. Veronica wanted nothing more than to get away

"Logan, can we go please?" She was clinging to him. She knew that. She couldn't help it; she was sure that if she let go, she would crumble and be blown away in the breeze. She thought she'd worked through her feelings for her mother and Mr. Kane, however, being in their presence made it clear that she hadn't.

Logan was guiding her towards the door when her mother grabbed her arm. "Please, Veronica. Don't go. The two of you could join us for dinner." She looked down at her mother's hand on her arm and jerked away.

"We just had dinner with our friends. We're leaving." Logan tightened his grip on her and she leaned into him gratefully as they continued making their way towards the front door. She could hear her mother calling out to her but they ignored her and kept walking. They made it outside, but just out of view of the entrance, Veronica had to stop. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. She bent over, resting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She could feel Logan rubbing small circles on her lower back and she could faintly hear him telling her she was going to be okay. Needing more of his strength, she reached back for his hand to hold onto.

* * *

"You're okay, Ronnie. Deep breaths. You're okay." Logan kept repeating himself in a smooth, quiet mantra as he rubbed circles on her back. He'd grabbed her hand when he saw her reaching for him. He couldn't believe how well she'd held herself together in front of Mr. Kane and her mom. He felt her tight grip and knew she was using him for support. He was amazed at her strength. He'd been waiting for this moment, wondering what it was gonna take to finally get her to break. He'd tried many times to get her to actually feel what she was feeling about her mom. She kept telling him she was fine, that her mom leaving didn't change anything, but he knew she was holding it all in and it was only a matter of time before she broke wide open with the weight of it all.

When he finally felt her breathing slow, he helped her walk over to a bench facing the ocean. It was a beautiful view. They sat in silence, just holding hands. Logan didn't want to push her. He was afraid that would make her bottle it all up again. He waited patiently but when she finally spoke, her voice was shaky.

"I guess I wasn't over it, like I thought." She pulled his hand into her lap and fiddled with his fingers. This was becoming a habit of hers that he enjoyed.

"It's okay to feel angry, sad, disappointed. She _is_ your mom." Veronica turned her whole body to face him resting her left foot on the bench. She splayed his hand out, palm facing her between them. She matched her hand to his and laced their fingers together,watching her movements carefully. After a few moments, she turned her gaze onto him.

"I don't know what I feel about it all, but what I do know is...I'm glad you were here." Veronica reached for him, climbing over to straddle his lap, wrapping her arms around him. It wasn't long before Logan felt her crying and he held onto her a little tighter.

* * *

"I'm telling you, I saw Mr. Kane and Mrs. Mars get out of that car. "

"Cas, relax. We'll check it out." Dick opened the door, climbing out of the limo. He reached in and took Mac's hand, helping her out. They were walking back towards the club when he saw Veronica stumble out, tugging Logan behind her. She collapsed into herself and Logan stood beside her, rubbing her back and whispering in her ear. Dick wanted to go make sure she was okay but he knew there wasn't anything else he could do beyond what Logan was already doing. When she straightened up and Logan guided her to the bench in front of the club, Dick felt Mac pulling on his hand. He looked back at her and nodded and, together, they turned to walk back to the limo.

The whole group was out of the car again, leaning against it. Duncan had his arms around both Lilly and Meg. Cassidy took a step forward, dropping Lizzie's hand. "It was them, wasn't it?"

"I don't know Cas, I didn't see 'em, but based on V's reaction, yeah, I'd say you're right. Logan has her though. I think she's finally dealing with her feelings. Let's just give them a minute." Dick leaned against the limo pulling Mac against him. They all just stood, leaning on the car, waiting for them.

As Dick stood, watching and waiting, he hoped that Veronica was going to be able to talk about her feelings now instead of continuing to bottle them up. When Logan told him that she wasn't talking to him about her mom either, Dick had been concerned and he was obviously right. She'd tried to ignore the problem but when it was staring her in the face, she'd imploded. Luckily, she had a lot of people to love her and help her get through her pain. He saw Veronica and Logan come over the rise into the parking lot and Dick noticed a flash of movement to his right. It only took a moment to realize it was Lilly running to her. He couldn't hide the smile that formed on his face at the sight of the girls wrapped in a hug, comforting each other.


	13. Return of Lilly Kane

"Hey, Chica!"

Weevil was hiding behind the support wall, trying to get Lilly's attention. They were closing in on the last team. He watched Lilly poke her head out to the side of the hay bale she was hiding behind and he pointed to the guy crawling behind the log just off to her right. Aiming her paintball gun, she hit his helmet.

"Terminated!" Lilly cheered from her hiding spot. "With extreme prejudice. We have one more, do you see him?"

Weevil looked around; he hadn't seen the other player. Deciding he needed a new vantage point, he took off running behind another wall. Crouched down, he looked over the area that he hadn't been able to see from his prior position. Still not spotting the last player, he made his way towards Lilly, ducking and dodging, hoping he didn't get hit. He reached her hay bale and flopped onto the ground next to her.

"Hi," he said with a smile as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm not having any luck, how about you? Have you seen the enemy?"

Lilly turned toward him, her back resting against the hay. "No, he's gone into hiding." She peeked around the hay bale again, scanning the battlefield. "We might have to flush him out." Weevil knew that the guy wasn't back where he'd just come from so he had to be in front of them somewhere. As he glanced around the arena, he noticed a couple of spots that couldn't be seen from their current position.

"Okay, how about I take the right and you go left. He's out there somewhere. If you see something, just call out." Lilly nodded at him in acknowledgement of the plan, keeping her eyes on the scene in front of her. Quickly, they moved forward into the battle zone. Weevil was making a run for a stack of crates when he heard Lilly call out a warning to him. Making a dive behind the crates, he heard a flurry of paint balls hit the crates. When he poked his head out from behind the shield, he saw Lilly walking towards him, their last target standing between them with his arms in the air. Weevil stood up, watching Lilly approach with a big grin on her face.

"Mission Accomplished!" she called to him in an excited voice. Weevil let out a chuckle. _I think I might be falling for this girl._

* * *

As Lilly changed out of the paintball jumpsuit, she thought about the changes she'd gone through since the summer began. When she came back from Paris, she'd confessed to Weevil that she was tired of feeling weak and scared. He'd encouraged her to join him in doing things that would help her feel stronger and better about herself. She learned how to fight, taken up boxing, and they'd been playing at Paintball Wars Battleground at least twice a week. Weevil had been right; it was making her feel stronger. She finished tying her shoes and raced to Weevil who was talking to a player from the other team.

Lilly wrapped her arm around his to get his attention. "Hey, we ready to go?"

Weevil turned to look at her. "Yeah, let's go." He nodded to the other kid and they started walking towards the beach.

"You sure you're up for this? Taking me out in public and all?" Even though he made it sound like he was joking, Lilly was sure he was asking an actual question. They weren't from the same social circles and, despite her reassurances, she wasn't any more certain how this would go than he was. Her friends knew she'd been spending time with Weevil; she'd been openly talking about it for the last couple of weeks. When she told them she couldn't come to the beach because she already had plans with Weevil, they'd encouraged her to bring him after.

"They told me to bring you along. They wouldn't do that if they didn't want you around." Lilly slid her hand down his arm to take his hand in hers. She wanted to show her friends how important Weevil was to her. As they walked onto the beach surrounded by hundreds of people, Lilly realized she wasn't afraid. She was nervous but it was more about how well Weevil would get along with her friends than the possibility of running into Tommy. She hadn't told anyone who he was and only Weevil knew that there was someone out there who terrified her.

"Lilly! Over here!" Shaking off the thoughts of her attacker, Lilly looked up to see Lizzie and Cassidy waving them over. Mac was the only other person on the blanket with them. As they got closer, she could see Dick, Logan and Veronica out on the water surfing. Mac offered them each a bottle of water from the nearby cooler. "Glad the two of you could make it. Veronica said she wasn't sure if you'd be able to."

Lilly let go of Weevil's hand to grab the two bottles from Mac. She sat on the edge of the blanket and passed one over to him with a smile. "We came down as soon as we were done. We were at Paintball Wars Battleground." Lilly opened her bottle of water to take a sip. "Have you ever tried it? It's so much fun."

Mac shook her head. "That does sound like fun. I bet I could get Dick to go!"

Lilly laughed, no doubt in her mind that Dick would want to play Paintball Wars. "I bet the moment he finds out that's where we were, he'll suggest it before you even have to ask."

Weevil put his hand on Lilly's leg. "Lilly, we should all go sometime."

"That's a great idea! What do you guys think, Cas? Lizzie? Wanna play Paintball Wars?" Involving her friends in one of her new favorite activities made Lilly feel even more like her old self. Hearing Cas and Lizzie agree made it even better. She was sure she would get the others to agree too.

* * *

"Hey, V, looks like Lilly showed after all. She even brought Weevs with her." Following Dick's gaze, Veronica turned on her board so she was facing the beach. It took her a moment, but she saw Lilly sitting on their blanket, with Weevil beside her. She couldn't make out anyone's facial expressions but the overall body language of the group looked relaxed and pleasant. She knew Lilly's real friends would accept her choices if given the chance.

Logan's voice brought her out of her thoughts . "Are you ready to call it a day, Ronnie? Head in and laze on the beach?"

Veronica was torn. She did want to spend time with Lilly around Weevil, but she also wanted to surf. "How 'bout one more run, okay, guys?"

"Yes, ma'am." Dick saluted her playfully and Logan laughed.

"Funny, Dick." she called over her shoulder as she paddled out to wait for the next wave.

* * *

Veronica made her way towards her group of friends chatting on the beach. After tossing her surf board onto the sand, she sat down. "Hey guys, how's it going?"

"V, you're getting really good at surfing. Your teacher must be proud," Lilly called out as Dick and Logan made their way to them.

"She's my star student," Logan answered with pride in his voice. Logan kissed the top of Veronica's head, then sat down next to her. "I am proud."

Veronica smiled at Logan before turning her attention back to Lilly. "So, Lils, I wasn't sure you were going to make it today. What could possibly be more entertaining than hanging out with us on the beach?"

Lilly began to bounce in her spot, clearly excited to share where she had been all morning. She glanced at Weevil, then her eyes scanned the rest of the group. "We were playing Paintball Wars at the Battlegrounds!"

Dick called out, "We need to do that, Mackie!"

Mac laughed and looked at Lilly. "You were totally right." She redirected her attention to Dick. "Actually, we were thinking maybe we all should do it, together."

Dick nodded eagerly, then wrapped his arms around Mac, squeezing her until she giggled with glee. "So, what do you guys say? Veronica? Logan? Wanna plan a game of Paintball Wars?"

"I'm in," Logan said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Me too," said Veronica.

The friends began to discuss when they should plan such an outing, Mac tossing goldfish crackers in the air for Dick to catch in his mouth as they talked. "Cassidy and I have to be on campus for program presentations this week, so it will have to wait 'til this weekend," she said.

Weevil was watching Mac and Dick's antics, laughing. After a few minutes, he turned to Lilly. "Are they always like this?"

Three voices responded.

"Absolutely," said Logan.

"Always," answered Veronica.

"You don't know the half of it," replied Cassidy.

The whole group collapsed in a fit of laughter.

* * *

Saturday arrived and everyone gathered at Paintball Wars Battleground. A fairly large crowd had gathered to play. Word had gotten out that Celeste had rented the entire field so they could have it all to themselves and students from both Neptune High and Junior High had shown up. Lilly and Veronica had decided they wanted to play girls versus boys.

"I guess Mrs. Kane found a way to prove being friends with Lilly Kane comes with certain benefits. The biggest problem she's gonna have in high school is deciding who is worthy of her presence." Veronica sensed that Weevil didn't appreciate this side of the 09er crowd.

"What's wrong, Weevil, feeling out of place?" Veronica caught the annoyed look on his face at her statement. They were dressed in their jumpsuits, waiting for the game to start. Veronica had been keeping Weevil company because, as usual, Lilly was late.

Weevil sat down on the hay bale. "Yeah, not that so much, I've gotten used to being around all of you, but it doesn't change what this really is. Rich 09ers buying popularity." Staring at the ground, he kicked the rocks under his feet. "She is such a princess. What is she doing with a guy like me, huh, V?"

Veronica understood where he was coming from. She still hadn't completely adapted to her friends' lifestyles but she did know why Lilly was with Weevil.

"She told me what you did for her." Veronica kicked at his foot that he seemed so focused on. "I don't exactly know what brought the two of you together, but I do know, you helped Lilly take her life back." Though his head was bowed, Veronica could see the smile that put on his face.

"I didn't do anything that anyone else wouldn't have done. Then she kept calling me wanting to hang out. It gave me something to do besides hang out with the crew, ya know."

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I'm not sure you give yourself enough credit. Not everyone would have done anything for her." She hopped up to scan the crowd. They'd been waiting awhile to get started. She was about to suggest going to look for Lilly when she spotted her talking to Enbom and Shelley. Veronica gave Weevil a shove on the shoulder. "She's here." They walked into the crowd, ready to prod Lilly into action.

"Are we going to get this thing started or what?" Dick's voice carried over the whole crowd.

Lilly climbed on top of a stack of hay bales, looking over the crowd. "Wow, this is quite the turnout. If you haven't heard, it's girls versus boys and we are going to kick your asses! You have three minutes to find your starting position. When they blow the air horn, it's game on! Let's do this!" Lilly hopped down, grabbed her weapon and took off into the battleground.

Veronica felt a familiar arm wrap around her waist, then a brief kiss to her cheek. "Good luck," Logan said, before he ran off too.

* * *

Lilly stood behind a tall wall as she patiently waited out the battle that was currently happening right on the other side. She wasn't sure who the two were that were going at each other, but she was glad to go unnoticed. She was sure that, at some point, one of them would get the hit they were so desperately trying for.

She dropped to a crouch against the wall, when she heard Carrie's voice swearing in protest at being hit. That meant the enemy was near and no longer engaged. Lilly watched as Carrie walked back in the direction of the base camp to return her gear. The guy she'd been shooting at had to be on the other side of this wall so she was going to need a new position. Hoping that whoever it was didn't know she was there, Lilly laid down and army crawled to a barrel tunnel a short distance away. As long as no one saw her, she was in a good position to see in almost every direction. Looking out one side, Lilly saw Luke take a dramatic hit to the chest. In the other direction, Veronica was sheltering behind a stack of crates while shooting at someone blocked by a wall.

Lilly crawled around to the other end, trying to see who had hit Carrie. When she finally laid eyes on her target, the shock hit her like a truck. "NO!" Hearing herself scream, she hunkered back into the barrel, feeling the panic envelop her. He was here. Tommy had joined the battle.

Lilly felt all the emotions of that terrible night coming back in a rush. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. Trapped by her emotions, all alone, yet in a crowd of people. She had worked so hard to get beyond these feelings and she knew that she didn't want to go back to feeling scared, and damaged. She started taking slow, deep breathes to calm herself. As she did, she gave herself a pep talk. She would take him out. She could do it. She had been mastering this game of cat and mouse for weeks now and she was good at it. She had felt like she was the mouse avoiding the cat; now, it was her turn.

Lilly inched to the opening of the barrel, steadying herself to take the shot, trying to control her shaking. She had to hit him with the first shot because she wasn't sure she'd have the courage to take a second. Just as Tommy leaned up to take a shot at someone else, Lilly took a deep breath and fired. The red from her paint ball bloomed out over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Tommy cried indignantly, turning to see who had struck him. As his eyes met Lilly's, she saw the recognition and a mean smile crept over his face.. Suddenly Lilly was enraged. All these weeks of being terrified by this creep. _No more._ She crawled out of the barrel and began shooting him over and over and over again with paintballs.

* * *

Veronica watched Lilly walk towards one of the guy players that Veronica didn't know, shooting him over and over again. Everyone around them had stopped playing, watching what seemed more like an act of vengeance than a friendly game of paintball. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Weevil was beside Lilly, trying to take the gun from her.

"Is it him?" Veronica heard Weevil ask. Lilly nodded in response, tears running down her face. He let go of her gun and aimed his at the stranger. "You need to leave. NOW!" The guy backed away, stumbling to the ground as he went. Veronica moved toward Lilly and Weevil, noticing that their other friends were doing the same. Veronica wasn't sure what was going on, but she suspected this was the guy who hurt Lilly. Weevil seemed to know a lot more than she did and it was his reaction as much as Lilly's that made her think she was right. Dick was the only one with the gall to ask what was going on.

"Tommy, man? What did you do?"

Tommy stood up, looking scared. "Nothing, this bitch is crazy," he sneered.

Lilly aimed her paintball gun at him and shot him again, dead in the center of his chest. Tommy groaned and rubbed his hand over the spot. Weevil smirked and took the gun from Lilly's hands. "Stand down, Chica."

Logan stepped out around Veronica to stand between them and Tommy. "I don't know what's going on, and maybe I don't want to, but I think you should just leave, man. This is her thing." Heeding Logan's advice, Tommy nodded, then turned and walked toward base camp.

Lilly was still visibly shaking as she wiped the tears from her eyes but her voice was strong. "Thanks guys." She gave everyone a half smile and turned towards Weevil. Veronica watched Lilly grab his wrists and smile up at him. "I'm okay." She took her weapon and turned to everyone. "Shall we continue?"

Logan turned back to Veronica, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her head. She hugged him tightly. "Lils and I are going to need another girls' night," she said in a low voice.

He smiled down at her. "Ya think?"

"Yeah. In the meantime though, I think some people might have some frustrations to work out, and paintball's a great way to do that."


	14. Postgame Mortem

Veronica and Lilly sat in the bleachers of the Sharks Little League baseball field. Cassidy was on the team and today was the championship game. The girls were waiting for everyone. They had spent the night at Lilly's doing a lot of healing. It had been a long night for both of them as Lilly talked to Veronica about what had happened with Tommy and they shared their feelings about their parents. Veronica was always amazed at how a little girl talk could be so therapeutic. Lilly told her that her mom had offered a mother/daughter weekend in L.A to go school shopping and Lilly was hoping that Veronica would come too.

"Come with us, V, we can both shop for school clothes."

"I don't have the money to shop in Neptune, Lils, let alone L.A." Veronica was doodling on her tennis shoes to occupy herself while Lilly braided her hair.

"You know my mom would cover it." Lilly stopped braiding and reached over Veronica's shoulder. "Scrunchie?" Veronica raised her arm, giving Lilly access to pull the hair tie off her wrist.

"Lilly, it's about more than just money. Do you not pay attention when I'm at your house? You mother can't stand me, Lils. She hates me." When Lilly finished doing her hair, Veronica stopped doodling on her shoes and turned around to face Lilly. "She's never liked me. And who could blame her? I think she's known about your dad and my mom all along and has resented me being your friend." Veronica didn't want to put Lilly in the middle but she didn't think that Mrs. Kane would agree to spend a weekend with her and Veronica wasn't really excited about the idea either.

Lilly didn't respond; she was staring out over the ballfield. When she turned back to Veronica, she was grinning. Surprised at the change in Lilly's demeanor, Veronica turned to see Logan and Cassidy headed their way. This was obviously a conversation for a later time.

"It's about time someone showed up!" Lilly hollered to them.

Cassidy climbed up the bleachers and sat in the row just below them. "I'm on the team and I don't even have to be here for another twenty minutes. How long have you been here?"

Logan sat beside Cassidy, leaning back between Veronica's knees and tipping his head back to rest against her stomach. She leaned down toward him, moving her arms down over his shoulders and greeting him with a kiss on the forehead. "Not as long as Lilly would have you think. She's had just enough time to braid my hair."

Lilly began braiding her own hair. "Please! I only braided your hair out of boredom from having to wait so long."

"Did she let you sit down first or was she braiding your hair as she walked over here?" Cassidy asked with a chuckle.

"As if. So, anyway, moving on, Veronica is coming with me to L. A. this weekend to go school shopping."

"Lilly, we just talked about this. Celeste does not want me around so I am not going to go with you." Logan grabbed her ankles and wrapped her legs around his chest in what seemed a strange alternative to a hug but was surprisingly comforting. He reached for her hand, pressing his lips to it.

"Lilly, your mom is dealing with a lot right now and Ronnie is a big reminder of that. I think your trip would be more fun and less stress for everyone if she doesn't go." Veronica smiled at Cassidy, grateful for his reasoning.

"What do you think, Logan?" Lilly asked.

Logan glanced up at Veronica, then turned his attention to Lilly. "Sorry, but I agree with Ronnie and Cas, Lils. Let your mom enjoy herself focusing on pleasing you. If you give her some time, and don't push her so much, maybe she'll start to see that Veronica's not the problem." The disappointment was clear on Lilly's face, but she finally nodded, seeming to accept the advice.

* * *

The Sharks won the championship game. Everyone was headed over to the Casablancas' for a party. Dick and Mac had already left to let people in the house, so Logan and Veronica hung around to wait for Cassidy. It hadn't been long into the game when Veronica noticed Coach Goodman and she remembered the way he'd creeped her out on the Fourth of July. She wasn't sure what it was that bothered her so much, but her curiosity was taking over. She found herself watching him during the game. He had an annoying habit of slapping the boys on the butt when they walked past him. He was so overly friendly with all those boys that it made her skin crawl and every time he put his arm on Cassidy's shoulder, Cassidy would flinch. Veronica watched as Peter Ferrer walked around the back of the dugout to avoid the Coach completely.

While she and Logan waited for Cassidy, Marcos Oliveres came running out of the locker room, almost crashing into Logan. Shortly after, Cassidy joined them, looking out of sorts.

"You okay, Cas? You guys won; shouldn't you be more excited?" Veronica draped her arm around Cassidy's shoulder, trying to cheer him up.

"I dunno, I am, I guess. Coach invited the team to a celebration at Woody's Burgers, but I'm not gonna go. I'd rather celebrate with you guys. You ready to go?'

"Just waiting for you," Logan said, patting him on the back.

* * *

Veronica had her suspicions that something was going on with Coach Goodman and the team. She just wasn't sure what to do about it. Sitting on the chaise lounge next to the Casablancas pool, she pondered whether she should say something or just keep her unsettled feelings to herself.

Logan squeezed onto the chaise next to her, handing her a S'kist. "Spill it, Mars. What's going on in that head of yours?" Veronica looked away from him, not sure she wanted to admit what she was thinking. When she met his eyes again, she could see that he was concerned. Logan always could see right through her.

"I don't know. It might be nothing." She was deliberately vague, testing the waters to see how much he would press the issue.

"It's not nothing if it's bothering you this much." He gave her a warm smile that reassured her. "I say we talk it out. Say it out loud to hear how it sounds and then we can decide if it's nothing, together."

She hesitated at first, then reminded herself that if there was anyone who was there for her, it was Logan. "I was watching Cassidy's coach today. He creeps me out. He kept slapping them on the butt and rubbing their shoulders. Some of the players, like Peter, Marcos, and...Cassidy. They don't look comfortable around him."

"What are you trying to say Ronnie?" he questioned.

"I told you, I don't know. I just have this feeling." She glanced over at Cassidy sitting on the diving board. "I think I need to ask Cassidy about it. I'm just not sure how."

Logan began rubbing Veronica's back soothing her. She didn't even realize she needed comfort until she felt the affects of it. "Tell him your concerns and let him come to you. Just letting him know you are open to hearing him out, might help him open up."

She knew Logan was right. She was feeling better already. She could talk to Cassidy at a better time. Right now they were supposed to be celebrating.

"Sounds like a plan, thanks." She hopped up from the chaise and turned to extend her hand to help him up. "Come on Echolls, we're here to party!"

* * *

It had been a great win for the Sharks. Avoiding the celebration at Woody's Burgers and having the party at his place had helped to allay his fears. Coach Goodman had never actually tried anything with him but he'd been very touchy feely since Cassidy had started on his team. When he'd heard Coach tell Marcos that he'd be happy to give him a ride home from the celebration, he'd known he couldn't go to the Coach's party. The members of the team had never talked about the Coach and how he was, but they all knew. It was just something no one discussed. Cassidy was sure that Veronica knew something when she talked to him on the Fourth of July, but she hadn't brought it up since then, until now. The two of them were alone in the media room, there to pick a movie, but instead, Veronica was telling him what she'd seen and how uncomfortable it made her.

"I think I want to tell my dad to look into it, but I wanted to talk to you first. I didn't want to upset you." He'd collapsed onto the couch when she brought up the subject and she sat down next to him, grabbing a throw pillow that she hugged to her chest.

"I get it, V, I may even know what you're talking about." She sucked in a harsh breath, her eyes fearful, and Cassidy quickly raised his hands, wanting to stop her from getting the wrong idea. "No, that's not what I meant, other than being a little too touchy feely, he hasn't done anything to me. Honest." Cassidy rested his hand on her arm, wanting to reassure her. He was pretty sure that it wouldn't be long before the Coach would seek him out, and that was not a situation he wanted to be in. "Maybe telling your dad wouldn't hurt."

Veronica gave him a warm smile and covered his hand with hers. "Would you want to do it together?"

Cassidy pulled his hand out from underneath hers, shaking his head. Veronica telling her dad was one thing but him doing it was something else. "I'm sorry, V, I can't."

Cassidy stood up and walked to the window. He thought about his teammates and how they would feel it they knew he was the one who told the secret. He hoped that she'd be able to understand why he couldn't do it. He finally felt ready to explain this to her so he headed back to the couch but at the same time, the door opened and everyone piled into the room.

"So, what are we watching?" Dick asked, completely oblivious to the seriousness of the conversation that had just been interrupted.

* * *

On the ride home from the Casablancas house, Veronica shared the conversation with Logan.

"He says the coach hasn't tried anything with him but he implied that things may have happened with the others on the team."

"Do you think he is being honest?' Logan asked.

"I do, he didn't seem uncomfortable telling me. I think he was trying to tell me what he thinks is going on with some of the others, but then I asked him to help me tell my dad. He kinda clammed up after that."

"Veronica, if his teammates find out he was the one who told, they could blame him for their lives being turned upside down. Even though it wouldn't be his fault, sometimes people just need someone to blame."

"It's not like they did anything wrong. They wouldn't be getting in trouble."

"No, but this is the kind of secret that most people wouldn't want getting out. Even if telling stops whatever's happening, everyone knowing what had happened to them? Some secrets just feel better staying secret."

Veronica frowned, thinking about what Logan had said. Maybe he was right, the others might blame Cassidy for telling and that wasn't fair. This was going to have to be her doing.

The limo pulled up to the Mars' home and Logan pulled her more tightly against him. "Are you going to talk to your dad?"

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I've been sitting on this since the Fourth of July. I can't wait anymore."

"You need some moral support?" She smiled up at him and shook her head.

"No, I'll be okay. Dad will know what to do."

"He will." Logan kissed her gently. "Good luck. Call me later, tell me how it goes."

It took Veronica a little while to start the conversation but talking to her dad went better than she'd expected. He assured her that he would be careful looking into the Coach and he wouldn't stir the pot without good reason. With Cassidy's blessing, Logan's support, and her Dad's reassurance, Veronica went to bed feeling a lot better about the situation.

Using parents' permission, her dad questioned the players during baseball camp. After talking to the boys he was able to get a search warrant for the coach's house and office. It only took a week for him to be arrested and Shark's management fired the coach shortly after.

* * *

Veronica was napping on the beach when she felt the sand shift beside her. She opened her eyes to see Cassidy sitting next to her, his gaze focused out on the water. With her sunglasses on, she could watch him without him noticing that she was awake. She wasn't sure if he'd been avoiding her over the last couple of days or if it was just a coincidence that he hadn't been around. With him sitting here beside her, she hoped it was just by chance that they hadn't seen each other. Suddenly missing him, she reached up and slid her hand into his.

Cassidy turned to look down at her and smiled. "Hey, you're awake."

"Yeah, I felt you sit down." Veronica sat up beside him. "How you holdin' up?"

"I'm alright." He looked away. "Your dad talked to me. I hope you know how lucky you are to have him." He met her eyes again. "When the news broke, my dad wanted to sue the Sharks and Coach, claiming me as a victim. He didn't care if I was or not. He just saw a chance to increase his net worth." Veronica heard him choke over that last statement. "Your dad took care of it. He got my dad to drop the suit. I have no idea what he said to him but when I told your dad I hadn't been one of them…"

She put her arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cassidy. You shouldn't have to go through that, any of it."

He leaned over and wrapped her in a hug. "It's all good, V. Thank you."

"Always. You know that right?" She pulled back away from him to look him in the eyes. "I am always here for you."

"I know, that goes for you too." Cassidy rested his arms on his knees watching out over the water. Veronica turned to watch with him. They sat quietly for a few minutes.

"What are you doing down here all by yourself? Where is everyone?" Cassidy asked.

"Your brother is with Mac and Logan had to have dinner with his parents...I wasn't sure if you were avoiding me so…" Cassidy stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes. He then reached down, offering his hands to her. She let him pull her up to stand. Cassidy helped her fold her blanket and pack it in her bag.

He offered his arm for her to wrap hers around it. "So, it looks like it's just you and me?" Veronica took his arm as she laughed and they headed up the beach to walk back to Veronica's house.


	15. Trip to Catalina

"Hurry up, Dad, we're gonna be late," Veronica hollered from the car.

"Honey, the idea of a vacation is to relax. Besides, it's Logan. It's not like he's going to leave without us." Keith threw the rest of the luggage in the car and climbed into the driver's seat.

The ride over to the Echolls' was quiet. Veronica was lost in thoughts of their upcoming weekend. As they pulled into the driveway, they saw Logan playing hacky sack. He ran over to the car.

"You can pull it into that garage, Mr. Mars," he said, pointing to an open spot. Keith parked the car in the designated spot and all three of them unloaded it. Ben arrived before they were done and helped them pack everything into the limo. As they worked, Lynn came out of the house to say goodbye to Logan.

"I hope you have a wonderful time." Lynn handed Logan a black Amex card. "Take this with you, dear. Treat them to a real vacation, okay? I love you."

Keith stepped forward to protest. "Lynn, that isn't necessary."

"Nonsense, you have done so much for my son and the rest of the people in this town. Think of this as my personal thank you." She waved him off as she walked back into the house.

Keith put his arms around both of them and started walking towards the limo. "I guess the only thing left to do is sail to Catalina."

* * *

As they boarded the yacht, Roger explained the itinerary. "Your luggage has been moved into the cabins down below. We have fruit trays and other snacks on the deck if you get hungry. When we get close to Catalina, we planned to do some deep sea fishing, then we'll dock at the marina. We'll leave Catalina first thing on Monday morning so we are back in Neptune for your afternoon shift, Mr. Mars."

"Wow, this is going to be amazing!" Veronica couldn't contain her excitement any longer. She was sure the grin was going to stay on her face for the rest of the weekend. The three of them headed below deck to check out the cabins.

A little later, they all sat at the table on deck, nibbling at the array of food. Logan showed Keith brochures on the activities he thought they should try while on Catalina. Watching her dad and her boyfriend, Veronica was grateful that Logan was using his prior experience on the island to plan a vacation that they'd all enjoy.

"Okay, so after breakfast tomorrow, we'll head over to the Descanso Canyon and do this aerial adventure park, then we'll get lunch before we go on the Sea Wolfe. It's a semi submersible so we'll be able to see under the ocean. Then, after dinner, we'll take a ride on the Cyclone to see the flying fish."

Keith flipped through the materials that Logan had passed him. "This all sounds exhausting, Logan."

Logan smirked at Veronica as he clapped Keith on the arm. "Don't worry, you can handle it, Mr. Mars. There's plenty of time between activities to just hang out and enjoy the beach. The adventure trail takes two hours and it's first thing in the morning. The other two activities are just fun boat rides." Logan picked up the next set of brochures. "Now Sunday, I thought we could do the rock wall, ride the Ocean Runner to see dolphins, then maybe go to El Rancho Escondido for the afternoon."

Veronica looked puzzled. "What's El Rancho Escondido?"

Logan smiled and leaned towards her to whisper in her ear. "Horseback riding." Veronica hadn't realized that she could get more excited than she already had been until she heard his words. She jumped up and threw her arms around Logan, knocking him back in his seat.

* * *

Keith had been surprised by his excitement about their trip. When Lynn had insisted that she was treating the Mars family to the trip, he was uncomfortable at first, but when she explained her motives, he was humbled. The situation with Lianne and Jake Kane had been painful, for both him and Veronica, and, for a while, it had been hard to think about anything else. Listening to Lynn before they left for the trip made him realize that while his wife may not have appreciated him, clearly some people did. It wasn't the same, but it was enough.

Now, sitting on the deck of the Echolls' yacht, while Logan detailed his plans for the weekend, seemed surreal. The young man's earnest excitement to share this experience with them warmed Keith's heart. Logan had put a lot of thought into planning their weekend to include activities they would all enjoy together. Keith was looking over the flier for the ranch showing pictures of families riding horses, when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a grinning Logan lean in to whisper in Veronica's ear. She squealed and launched herself at him. Keith couldn't help but chuckle. Was there anything this boy wouldn't do to make his daughter happy? Veronica returned to her seat and slapped her hands on the table. "Dad, did you hear that? We're going horseback riding!"

Keith turned the brochure around so she could see the picture he'd been looking at. "I got that, Honey."

Just then, Roger appeared, climbing the stairs to the deck. Veronica called out, "Is it time for deep sea fishing?"

He smiled. "It is. We're dropping anchor as we speak."

* * *

Veronica woke up Saturday morning and headed up to the deck looking for Logan. Instead, she found her dad enjoying a cup of coffee and the crisp ocean air. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Morning, Daddy, have you seen Logan?"

He reached up behind him and patted her on the head. "Not yet, kiddo."

She headed back down to his room and tapped on the door. After a moment, the door pulled open and Logan appeared in the doorway, backlit by very bright sun shining into his room.

"Morning, Sunshine." She stretched up onto her toes to greet him with a kiss. "And I mean that completely literally, it is blinding in there."

Logan stepped into the hall and closed the door, resting his hands on her hips and leaning down to kiss her again. After far too short a time, he pulled back, but rested his forehead against hers, smiling down at her. "Good morning to you."

She smiled back at him. "Are we still on for breakfast before we go on our adventure?"

He laughed and straightened, wrapping his arm around her waist, and guiding her toward the stairs up to the deck. "Of course. I would never keep you from the most important meal of the day. Is your dad ready?"

"I think he's been waiting for us."

Logan stopped, pulling Veronica to a halt. She turned to look at him and noticed that he looked tired. She reached for his hands and he willingly grasped them, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. She watched him as he looked down at their joined hands. "Hey, are you okay? What time did that sun start shining into your room? Did you not get enough sleep?"

He glanced up at her from beneath his eyelashes, looking far too serious, but oh-so-adorable. "Ronnie, I want you and your dad to have a great time this weekend. I don't want to disappoint him."

She squeezed his hands, rocking them from side to side. "You won't. Even if all we did was hang out on the boat, we'd still have a great time."

"Veronica, you have no idea how lucky you are to have your dad. He only wants what's best for you...and I wanna be what he wants for you."

She smiled at him, her heart melting a little. She reached up to stroke his cheek with her thumb. "Logan, if my dad didn't like you, we wouldn't be here. You can believe that."

He nodded, and leaned down to kiss her again. When he pulled away again, he looked better. "Alright then, enough with the old soul moping, Mr. Echolls. You promised me breakfast and I'm starving."

* * *

"Descanso Canyon is amazing. I could climb around in these trees all day." Veronica grabbed the next guide rope and traversed the bridge.

Her dad followed behind her. "Personally, I like the ziplines best." At the end of the bridge, they stopped at the platform. "I'm gonna go first this time," Keith said. He ascended the climbing cargo net to the next zipline platform, hooking himself to the cable and shooting down to the next station.

Veronica climbed quickly up the cargo net, standing on the platform to hook herself to the cable. "See you down there!" she called back to Logan before she took off with a whoop.

Logan stood on the platform watching the father/daughter duo zipline through the trees. He had hoped that they would enjoy spending all this time with him. He'd planned activities that he thought they'd all love. Now, as they neared the end of their time at the aerial adventure park, he felt confident he'd picked the best. After this, they were having lunch at the Avalon Grille, and then they were going to ride the semi-submersible to get an underwater view around the Island. Logan was especially looking forward to tonight after dinner. He was always mesmerized by the flying fish and he was sure that Veronica would love it too. When he'd told them about all the things he'd planned for them this weekend, he'd gotten worried that Mr. Mars' comment about the trip sounding exhausting meant that he wasn't going to enjoy himself. Watching Mr. Mars having a blast on the zip line, he realized that he'd only been joking, Logan hooked his clip to the cable and hurtled down the last zipline toward the end of the trail.

* * *

Keith watched the young couple holding hands as they walked down the beach to the pier. This vacation has been incredible so far and they still had a whole day still to look forward to. During dinner, he'd listened to the two of them rave about the events of the day and what they were looking forward to tomorrow.

"Logan, put me down right now!" Veronica squealed, as Logan picked her up, cradling her over the edge of the pier.

"You sure you want me to do that, right now?" he inquired in a teasing voice.

Watching his daughter and her boyfriend on this trip, Keith was glad that they'd been friends first. It made him believe that no matter what happened, they would always be there for each other. Knowing that his daughter had someone like that in her life gave him peace. By the same token, he realized how nervous he was about where their relationship was headed and what was yet to come. It scared him to recognize how strong their relationship already was but he was sure this boy would do anything to protect her, just as he himself would.

"Dad, what are you doing? Quit'cher dawdling, slowpoke! Come on!" Veronica called to him from the boat. She and Logan had already boarded the Cyclone. Keith grinned at her and hurried onto the boat.

Even as he watched the amazing spectacle of fish flying along the side of the boat, Keith was unable to quiet the thoughts running through his head. They'd been through a lot recently and he was angry with himself for putting Veronica through all of it. He'd been jealous of Jake a few times when he saw him with Lianne, but he'd always thought he was over-reacting. If he would have followed his instincts, this wouldn't have gone on for so long. He was disappointed that he'd allowed Lianne to keep drinking as she had without insisting that she seek help and he knew that despite his efforts to hide the truth from her, it had still affected Veronica. The therapist he'd spoken to had warned him that there would be a time when Veronica wouldn't be able to bottle up her feelings any longer and had outlined the signs he should be watching for. Even with the professional advice, he hadn't been there when she did finally deal with her feelings. Instead, the boy sitting in front of him had been there to get her through it, and for that he would be forever grateful to him. When Logan had come to him at the station to tell him what happened at the country club, Keith had been so proud of him, first for being there when she needed him, and second for being respectful enough to come and tell him about it.

As they walked back up the beach to their yacht, Veronica grabbed Keith's hand. He looked down at his daughter and she gave him a concerned smile. He was sure all the time he'd spent lost in his train of thought hadn't gone unnoticed. He smiled back at her, then glanced up at Logan. He nodded to Keith in acknowledgment and, supporting her at her elbows, they lifted her, swinging her between them. Veronica giggled with glee.

Later that night, lying in bed, even the lull of the boat couldn't help Keith fall asleep. His mind wouldn't let up. The kids of Neptune seemed to grow up too fast, with a lack of supervision that resulted in them dealing with things they shouldn't have to so young. The group that Veronica had built around her, they seemed to be doing the best they could to keep pushing to be better people. He wondered how long that could continue before they gave into the dark side of Neptune. In that moment, he decided that he would do everything he could to keep this group of kids on the right path. He would be there for them like they had been there for Veronica.

* * *

Veronica was grateful to sleep in on Sunday morning after staying up so late to see the flying fish. Logan had been right when he told them how amazing it was to watch. After their late breakfast, they headed out for the Catalina Climbing Wall. It was set up with eight different routes that got more challenging as you advanced. Even though Logan was the only one of them to complete the entire challenge, both Logan and Veronica had been surprised to see how far her dad got.

Now, sitting on the Ocean Runner, enjoying the second activity of the day, Veronica leaned over the side, reaching out to try to pet the dolphin swimming right next to her. The cool ocean water lightly sprayed her face. "I'm not sure what I've enjoyed more, seeing the flying fish at night or watching the dolphins swim by the boat." Still reaching, she grumbled, "I need longer arms."

Logan sat beside her, laughing. "Not even I can reach them, Ronnie."

* * *

Veronica stood in the stables, meeting all the Wrigley horses. She'd been looking forward to this all weekend; she felt like she was in a dream. Logan and her dad were still picking the horses they wanted to ride. Veronica had known immediately which horse she would choose. When they'd arrived at the ranch, a beautiful, golden brown horse was playfully galloping along the fence. Mr. Wrigley had told them her name was Amber and that she was a spunky young thing. Veronica was in love.

"I've got my horse; the two of you are on your own. Don't take too long; I don't want to hang out here all day." She was enjoying the horses for now but was beginning to get impatient.

"I like this one, he reminds me of Black Beauty," Logan said.

"Then I guess I'll take this one. She's a beauty." Keith unhooked the reins from the guide bar and walked the horse towards Veronica. "What do you think, kiddo? Does she suit me?"

"Fine choices, gentlemen." Mr. Wrigley walked over to Logan. "This young man is Noir. He's steady and strong." Moving to her dad, Mr. Wrigley stroked the horse's neck. "This, sir, is Brandy. She is very calm."

Mr. Wrigley taught them how to saddle the horses and give the basic commands. When they were all ready to go, he took them for a two hour ride through the countryside. He told them about the history of the ranch and how it had been in the family for generations. He talked to them about one day starting a winery, in addition to the ranch itself.

"Do we really have to head back?" Veronica asked. She knew she was whining but she couldn't help herself.

"Yes, ma'am, we do. It's getting late." Mr. Wrigley ignored the whine in her voice.

The ride back to the stables was spent in silence, Veronica savoring the short time she had left. The last thing she wanted to do was leave; she was already wishing she could do this again. As they rode up to the stables, she dreaded the end of the ride. She had leaned forward in the saddle, scratching Amber's neck under her mane, when she felt a hand on her leg. She looked down to find Logan smiling up at her.

"I'm pretty sure we can convince your dad to let us all come here again. Maybe even make it an annual vacation?"

She smiled down at him. How could he possibly know what she'd been thinking? They both turned to Keith as he moved up next to Logan and rested his hand on Amber's haunch, a grin on his face.

"We'll see. Come on, kiddo, get down off the horse."

Veronica reluctantly dismounted but remained at the horse's side. Mr. Wrigley came by, handing her a bucket of carrots. Veronica took one and fed it to Amber. "We'll see ya, girl. Hopefully sooner rather than later." She gave her a final pat on the shoulder, then took the bucket of carrots over to Noir and Brandy. She fed them each a carrot as she said her goodbyes. "Thanks for taking care of my boys, guys."

* * *

Sunday was their last night on Catalina and her dad had offered to let them go to dinner and miniature golfing on their own. He wanted to hear the band at the hotel bar and then he'd meet them on the yacht. They'd eaten at the Avalon Grille again before heading for mini golf.

"Okay, now, just take a nice, smooth stroke." Logan was pressed up against Veronica's back, his arms wrapped around hers, hands covering hers on the club. He leaned over her shoulder, his cheek pressed against hers as he guided her arms.

"Pretty sure I've got it," Veronica said in a dry voice, but she was enjoying him being pressed against her. Logan had insisted on helping her with every shot. She was pretty sure it was just an excuse to put his hands on her but she wasn't going to complain. It was nice having time for just the two of them. Logan was always so cautious about physical contact around her dad, so she was grateful that her dad had given them some time for each other. As they walked hand-in-hand back to the yacht, they discussed the end of summer.

"This has been the best summer of my life," Logan said.

"Despite everything, it has been for me too." They'd reached their slip and Veronica pulled on his hand so he turned toward her. "It's mostly because of you."

Logan smiled at her and dropped her hand, reaching up to gently caress her jawline, then cupping her face in the palm of his hands as he leaned down toward her for a kiss. Veronica lost track of how many sweet kisses they shared before a sound registered in her ears.

"Eh hem. Okay, kids, that's enough." Veronica's face burned with embarrassment as she realized that what she'd heard had been her dad clearing his throat repeatedly as he'd walked up next to them. She peeked up at Logan and his face was as red as hers felt.

Keith kept walking, past them towards the gangplank to their yacht. He paused while partway on board, glancing back and smiling at them. "Say good night, Logan."

Logan smirked. "Good night, Logan."

Keith shook his head with a chuckle and finished his ascent onto the yacht. Logan gave Veronica one last soft kiss, on the tip of her nose this time, and then turned toward the yacht, pulling her with him to follow her dad onboard.


	16. Normal is the Watchword

There were less than two weeks of summer vacation left until the kids would be heading back to school. The trip back from Catalina was relaxing after their busy weekend. Keith took a short nap once they set sail but, before long, he headed back up looking for the kids. Veronica and Logan were sitting side by side on the couch on the deck, heads leaning together as they held hands and soaked in the sun. Keith sat down in one of the easy chairs across from them.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Veronica said with a grin. "About time you got back up here. Did we wear you out this weekend?"

Keith rolled his eyes at her. "I'm fine, darling daughter." He reached for an orange from the fruit bowl on the table next to him. "I wanted to thank you, Logan. This weekend was a wonderful experience. I need to make sure to thank your mom too." He began to peel the orange, tossing the rind into a nearby pail. "I've enjoyed every minute of this time with you kids and it made me realize something."

Keith paused to gather his thoughts. "Veronica has surrounded herself with an amazing group of friends and Neptune isn't the easiest town to grow up in. I had an idea and I wanted to run it by the two of you and maybe you could talk it over with your friends and let me know what you think."

Veronica sat forward in her seat, and Logan followed her, both obviously interested by his serious tone. "What is it, Dad?"

Keith steadied himself, uncertain how they would react to his idea. "As an adult, and the Sheriff, I see a lot going on in Neptune. You're a good bunch of kids and I want to help keep it that way." He paused, nervously peeling the pith off his orange wedges. "I've noticed that you spend a lot of time with each other and, for the most part, the only adult influence around seems to be the help. I wanted to know if maybe it would be cool if I joined all of you once a week, doing something fun together." He popped an orange wedge in his mouth, looking back and forth between them, then asked, "What do you think?"

Keith watched the kids' faces as he waited for their response. Logan looked surprised, but open to the suggestion. Veronica also looked surprised, but she also had a grateful look upon her face. They glanced at each other, then Veronica spoke.

"Could you really do that? You'd be able to find time to do something with all of us every week?"

Keith understood her hesitation. He was often swamped with work on the weekends, but he had put a lot of thought into his idea. Part of his job was to be a positive influence for youth in the community in the hope that they would become productive members of society. In addition to being there for his daughter and her friends as a present parental figure, he could also be a positive role model, a mentor. He would be able to work his schedule around their planned outings and, depending on how the idea was received, he might be able to expand this project to a younger generation of kids with other colleagues.

"I would. I've thought a lot about this. I meant it when I said how much I enjoyed spending the weekend with the two of you. I want to be there for you and your friends, Veronica. I know it's hard for them, growing up surrounded by nannies, maids, and butlers."

Keith turned to Logan. The boy was sitting back with his arms crossed, just listening. "What do you think Logan? Would you be interested in participating in a weekly event with me?"

Logan sat quietly for a moment. He opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but instead he got up from the bench and bolted down the stairs. Veronica stared after him for a moment, then looked up at Keith, wide-eyed. "I'll talk to him, honey," Keith said as he got up and followed Logan.

He took his time making his way down the stairs, wanting to give Logan a moment to collect himself. He knew there were only so many places Logan could go and he saw him right away sitting at the bow of the boat. Keith paused, watching Logan staring out over the ocean, before he walked over and sat down beside him. "It's okay if you'd rather we didn't spend so much time together, Logan. I'm not going to be mad at you for feeling that way."

Logan bowed his head. "It's not that, Mr. Mars." He turned towards him. "No one has ever willingly offered to do things with us without some kind of personal agenda before." Logan looked back out over the ocean. "This whole weekend was about giving you and Veronica the vacation you deserved and thanking you for letting me be apart of your lives. Just now, listening to what you're suggesting...all I could hear was that you just enjoy spending time with us, no strings attached. I always knew Veronica was lucky to have you, but really, we all are. I can never repay you for everything you've already done, and now you're offering to do even more."

Keith was touched. He'd thought Logan was trying to avoid hurting his feelings for not wanting him around and instead he was overwhelmed by the idea that Keith would want to spend more time with them. It was painful to know that these kids were growing up without the emotional support they yearned for. He knew that he would do everything he could to give them what they needed. Keith placed his hand on Logan's shoulder.

"Son, if I could make a living being there for all of you, I would be there twenty-four/seven. Please know I am always available for you, for all of you." Logan gave him a bashful smile and nodded his head. "So, based on this conversation, I assume you wouldn't mind this old man hanging out with you and your friends? We would all brainstorm some ideas at our first event, this Sunday, a barbeque at my place?"

Logan smiled. "That sounds great."

Keith stood up, offering a hand to help Logan up. "Perfect, shall we head back to the tiny blonde we left on the upper deck?"

Logan took his hand and Keith pulled him up. "Yeah, before her curiosity gets the best of her and she starts spying on us, if she hasn't started already."

Keith laughed, but as he turned towards the stairs, he could swear he saw her blonde hair blowing in the wind away from the railing.

* * *

Dick came around to the back of the house carrying two bags of ice followed by Cassidy carrying two cases of soda. They set them on the patio and began to load the coolers. Logan was getting pointers on how to cook the burgers on the open grill from Keith. Since the end of the Catalina trip a week earlier, the three boys had found themselves at the Mars' residence a few times when Keith was home. He'd been making good on his word to Logan, teaching them how to do things that they wouldn't otherwise get to experience. Earlier in the week, he'd taught them how to play poker. The day before, they'd been hanging out with Veronica watching 'Law and Order' reruns when Keith came home from work and taught them how to lift fingerprints, 'For real, not the Hollywood version'.

Today, the plan was a campout in the backyard with a barbeque. They'd been busy all morning, learning to pitch tents, and then man the grill. "You don't want to touch them too much, son," Keith said to Logan, who was standing nervously in front of the fire, spatula in his hand. "Get a nice char, then flip 'em. Don't press down on them either. That's what keeps them juicy. Just takes a few minutes."

Dick and Cassidy watched Keith and Logan flip the burgers, listening in on the advice Logan was getting. "Okay, I think we're just about done here. Cassidy, how about you watch the grill? After a couple minutes, pull them off. Logan and Dick are going to help me get the table down in the garage."

The boys followed Keith to the garage, Dick grumbling as they went. "Mr. Mars, how come the girls don't have to help with all this heavy lifting? Working over fire, too. Seems to me that we've got the hard jobs."

"The girls are in the house gathering the necessities and putting the rest of the meal together. Plus, I'm pretty sure Veronica was making snickerdoodles yesterday too," Keith answered as he unhooked the brackets that held the table to the wall. "Everybody works, Dick. It's a group effort. Next time, you can make the macaroni salad and Veronica can do the grilling." Logan laughed at the thought of Dick actually cooking. "Okay boys, one on each end."

They eased the table off the wall and turned it as Keith guided them out of the garage and around the house. "Where do you want it?" Logan asked him.

"Right there is fine." He turned to Cassidy at the grill. "How's the meat, Cas?"

Cassidy lifted a platter. "Plated and ready to be served, Mr. Mars."

Keith smiled at him. "Excellent work, my boy. Go ahead and leave them there for now and please go tell the girls to hurry up. We need the tablecloth."

Cassidy set the platter down and headed into the house. Just as quickly as he left, he was back, carrying a red and white table cloth with the girls in tow. He snapped the table cloth out, then straightened it across the tabletop.

"I'm told you have things ready for our expertise out here." Mac put the macaroni salad on the table next to the rest of the food and Veronica continued around to the other side with a tote, setting it on the ground next to the table. With her hands free, she wrapped her arms around Logan's waist.

"Hi," she said, and he put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and breathing in the scent of her shampoo before kissing her.

"Hi. I missed you," Logan said, looking down at her.

"Why didn't you come in and say hi?" she asked

"Your dad's kept us busy. What have you been doing in there?" he asked.

Veronica smiled up at him before pulling away to bend down and open the tote. She began pulling things out, paper plates, napkins, boxes of plastic silverware, a deck of cards and some board games. "Putting together an afternoon's worth of food and fun," she replied with a grin.

As Veronica and Logan arranged the table, Keith recruited Cassidy, Dick and Mac to gather chairs from the garage. Alone for a moment, Logan looked around at the party setup and smiled.

"Even after everything this week and today, I can't seem to get over all of this. I've always been so jealous of what you had with your dad. I'd never even considered the possibility that we could get to be a part of that."

He looked over at Veronica and she was watching him, her eyes warm as she looked at him. Embarrassed by his confession, Logan reached down and stole a snickerdoodle. When he looked back up at her, she smiled at him. He returned the smile and they went back to work adding servingware to the containers of food.

* * *

Keith stood at the head of the table looking over all the young people crowded around it. There'd been many changes for them in the last several months. After what had seemed like a rocky start to the summer, Lilly seemed to have found solace in a young kid, Eli, whom Keith had had a few run ins with in the last couple of years. There'd been nothing recently but he was sure it was a good thing that Veronica had included him. The rest of the group included Cassidy, Lizzie, Dick, Mac, and Logan. These were the people his daughter felt were the most important in her life.

"Okay, well, welcome everyone. As Veronica might have mentioned to you, while we were in Catalina, I came up with an idea. After talking it over with her, and Logan too, we invited all of you to join us today so I could make a proposition. My hope is that this will be the first of many Sunday get togethers."

Keith saw the hesitant looks on some of their faces so he continued with some caution. "Getting to spend time with Logan made me want to get to know all of Veronica's friends better, so I thought that, if you're interested and available, maybe every Sunday we would have a little get together. Just an opportunity to spend time with each other and maybe experience something fun or new or maybe even not so new. We arranged this barbeque so we could, one, decide if you are interested in the idea, and two, brainstorm things we could do together, as a group, each week. Maybe even plan next Sunday's event."

Keith raised his arms, palms out, as a gesture to open the floor for thoughts on the idea. "While you guys mull it over, I'm going to grab some grub. Feel free to join me. We have all afternoon to talk." Keith walked away from the table to grab a plate, hoping they would embrace the idea.

* * *

"He doesn't really want to spend time with a bunch of kids every weekend, does he, V?" Weevil asked with suspicion in his voice. Veronica knew that they might react this way. None of them, except Mac, and maybe Weevil, had had anyone willingly go out of their way to spend time with them.

Logan spoke up before she even had a chance to. "He really does, guys. Just today he taught us how to pitch a tent and use the grill. A couple days ago, he taught us how to play poker. Come on, it'll be great, and I'm sure that between us we can come up with some other cool ideas." Veronica looked over at Logan, grateful he was being so supportive.

"At the very least, we have a standing date to hang out every Sunday," Veronica added, squeezing his hand under the table. "Shall we eat?" He nodded and they stood up to head toward the food table. She was famished.

* * *

Cassidy hadn't needed any assurances like Weevil had. He was more than happy to hang out with the Mars family whenever they'd let him. He followed Keith to the food table, grabbing a plate and making himself a cheeseburger. "Mr. Mars?"

"Yeah, Cassidy?" Keith answered him as he opened a bag of potato chips.

"You really sure you want to hang out with all of us?" He tried to make his question sound light and casual but in his experience, adults didn't always follow through. He didn't think Mr. Mars was like that, but he wanted to be sure.

Keith put the bag of chips down and turned to Cassidy. "Absolutely." Keith put his hand on Cassidy's shoulder looking him in the eye. "Look. I've gotten to know you and Dick and Logan a lot better over this summer and I've realized that my daughter picked a great group of friends and I'd like to spend some time with all of you on a regular basis. I'm hoping that, as you guys get older and life gets tougher, you'll know that I'm here for all of you in any way I can be. "

Cassidy grinned and nodded before turning back to fill his plate. Keith grabbed a handful of the chips and headed back to the table.

"Hey, Cas." Veronica wrapped her free arm around Cassidy, giving him a quick hug as she came up beside him. Logan reached for the plates, letting go of Veronica's hand to hand her one.

"Hey, guys. This was a really cool idea, V, having a barbeque and then camping out in your backyard. Why have we never done this before?"

Veronica started filling her plate and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

Cassidy decided this would be one of his suggestions, more barbeques with a campout. He returned to the table in time to overhear Mr. Mars tell Mac that he would love a game night.

"Mr. Mars, do they have to all be here at your house? Could we maybe go somewhere and do something?" Dick asked.

"We can do whatever you guys want to do. I just want it to be a standing date, every Sunday," Keith answered. "So, based on all your responses, am I to assume you all want to do this?" Glancing around the table, Cassidy watched everyone nodding their heads yes.

"That's great! I already have an idea for next Sunday. A beach party! It's the last Sunday before you all go back to school so I thought we could have a Neptune Olympics with girls versus boys." Keith's suggestion sparked the conversation for others to share their ideas.

* * *

Veronica was excited to hear all the suggestions bouncing around the table. They'd already agreed on monthly game nights and barbeques. The other Sundays would include paintball, beach days, and other random day trips. She was sure that this new year was going to be incredible. She'd gotten up to visit the food table for another round of snacks when Dick joined her at her side.

"Hey, Ronnie, feeding the tapeworm?" He smiled at her as he grabbed a plate.

"Something like that. Have you eaten your weight in junk food yet, Dick?" she countered.

"I'm stoked we get to do this every week." Dick bumped shoulders with her. "You cool with sharing him with all of us?" he asked.

"Of course I am. Bringing together the most important people in my life, sharing experiences together, why wouldn't I want that?"

Dick gave her a concerned look and rested his arms on her shoulders. "Promise me, if at any point you feel like we are intruding, you'll tell me. Even if it's just that you want a little time with your dad on your own. Got it?"

Veronica thought he was being absurd, but he seemed so serious, that she let go of those feelings and answered him honestly. "I promise." Dick gave her a big smile and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back.

* * *

Veronica sat on the patio swing reflecting on the day as everyone was getting ready for bed. Earlier that morning, her dad had the boys help him put the three tents up in the backyard and now everyone was taking turns in the bathroom as they all got ready for bed. Keith let the boys change in his bedroom and the girls changed in Veronica's. Logan came out of the house wearing a hoodie and a pair of flannel pants, and sat on the swing next to her. When he stretched his arm out behind her, she leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You okay, Ronnie?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair. She reached over, taking his free hand to play with his fingers.

"Yeah, I'm good. I was just thinking."

He kissed the side of her head. "About what?"

She smiled to herself. Sitting here, she realized how at peace she was right now. Her dad was right; Neptune had a fierce underbelly and as they get older, he wouldn't be able to completely shelter them from it, but right now, in this moment, she was happy.

"I was just thinking about how happy I am right now. We've got a plan to stick together through this year, and I feel good that we'll be able to continue beyond that. I hadn't realized how scared I was that Lilly would head off to high school and leave us behind. But she's inside right now with every intention of joining us every Sunday for the foreseeable future. She has Weevil who's good for her. Cassidy is safe and happy with Lizzie. Mac is an amazing person who accepts Dick for just who he is: a scheming, goofy, loyal, loveable dork. Anyone looking at them from the outside would think that they make no sense, but they work. She's become a great friend. And then there's you."

Veronica quit playing with Logan's fingers and laced hers through his. She curled up on the swing facing him, knees bent and her legs crossed at the ankles. "I couldn't imagine going through any of the things that have happened this summer without you. I feel like I can do anything as long as I have you by my side. You taught me to surf, you helped me deal with my mom, and the trip to Catalina...you always seem to know what I need before I do."

She looked into his eyes and pulled his hand toward her, resting it on her knees. Logan turned towards her. pulling one leg up on the swing so he was facing her while still anchoring the swing to the ground. "Thank you," she whispered. Logan cupped the back of her head with his hand, pulling her closer and resting his forehead on hers as he closed his eyes.

"Always."

-The End-

Notes: It's been a trip. I have an epilogue to this that I will post as soon as it's ready. Thank you all for joining me on this adventure. A HUGE thank you to Irma66. You are amazing!


	17. I Know What You'll Do Next Summer

**THANK YOU IRMA66! This would not have been possible if it wasn't for you!**

 _Epilogue-Possible Prequel_

"Veronica Mars. A high school girl needs her trademark scent." Lily continued searching through the array of perfume bottles sniffing each one.

"Be serious, Lilly."

"I am serious." Lilly lifted a bottle to her nose, then reached out and sprayed Veronica. "This is it!"

Veronica jumped back. "Lilly!" She lifted her shirt to breathe in the scent. "Wait, that smells really good. What is that?'

Lilly beamed, handing Veronica the bottle. "It's called Promises."

Veronica sprayed her wrist and rubbed it on the other. "How is it?" she asked, holding her wrist out to Lilly.

Lilly took her hand and leaned in to sniff. "Dahling!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I think we've found it!"

Veronica placed the sample bottle back on the shelf and grabbed one in a box, placing it in her basket. "Okay, we've covered makeup and perfume. Can we go now?"

Lilly reached for Veronica's shopping basket. "Let's see." Lilly searched through it, piling the items up as she took inventory. "All right, that's everything. Time to checkout." They headed to the counter and began unloading the basket for the cashier. "Do you want to stop for shakes after this? It's still early."

Veronica frowned. "You know I would if I could, Lils, but remember? I'm meeting Logan for dinner. You know we planned this today so I'd have a ride to the mall."

"Yeah, I know. I just thought...nevermind, it's cool. I'll do some more shopping then head home."

"Lilly, I thought you and Weevil were going to a movie. What happened to that?"

"Uh, we broke up again. He's being an ass. Again."

Veronica sighed. Lilly had been doing this a lot lately. They'd broken up a few times over the past school year. Lilly blamed it on Weevil hanging with Felix and the PCHers but Veronica thought that was just an excuse. Every time another boy showed an interest in her, gave her a little attention, she'd pick a fight and break up with Weevil. The last time had lasted two weeks before she starting paying attention to him again. So far, Weevil had always taken her back.

"Lilly, are you being fair? You've been known to make certain choices that weren't exactly angelic."

"We'll see what happens after next Saturday. Either he goes to the beach party with them or he shows up at Casey Gant's to win me back. It will be up to him." Lilly wasn't backing down on this and Veronica didn't have the energy to argue the point. She paid the cashier, grabbed her bag, and they headed out of the store. They walked through the mall toward the restaurant where Veronica was meeting Logan, stopping at the ice cream shop for Lilly's milkshake and a small Icee for Veronica. They continued on their stroll, Lilly going on and Veronica only half-listening.

"I am so looking forward to the last day of school on Thursday. High school was a lot more work than I thought it was going to be. Between maintaining my social status and keeping my GPA in line, I'm exhausted."

Veronica stopped suddenly, Lilly forgotten for a moment, as she looked at a sleeveless red satin dress hanging in one of the storefront windows. She saw the yellow markdown tag since prom season was over and looked at Lilly, who grabbed her arm and tugged her into the store.

"Come on, you are trying that on, Veronica Mars. You are definitely red satin!"

* * *

The trip into the dress store made Veronica late meeting Logan. Lilly had insisted that she buy the dress. As she walked into the restaurant, she saw Logan sitting in the corner booth looking at a book. She slid in beside him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hi, sorry I'm late. Whatcha lookin' at?"

Logan turned and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before holding out the book. "My mom bought an alpaca farm."

"Seriously? That's so cool!" Veronica took the book from Logan and flipped through it. Each page displayed shots of a vast property with photos of the animals throughout. "I can't believe your mom did this."

"She couldn't just buy a stable of horses. No, she had to go exotic," Logan joked.

Veronica closed the book and handed it back to him. "She didn't actually buy alpacas, did she?"

Logan chuckled,nodding his head. "Oh yes she did. She was visiting a friend on some movie set and she fell in love with them. They introduced her to this little old man who owned the farm. I guess he was falling on hard times and my mom wanted to help. He sent her this book." He pushed the book to the side and angled himself towards her. "So what's in the bags?"

"Lilly's list of high school must haves."

Logan looked at her, puzzled. "Isn't she rushing things a bit? Not only do we have four days of school left, we have all summer before we start high school."

Veronica had to laugh; she'd had this exact conversation with Lilly. "Lilly says I'll need the summer to master my technique."

"What does that even mean?" Logan asked.

Veronica snorted. "Beats me."

The waitress walked up to the table then and placed the menus in front of them.

"Good evening, I'll be your waitress. Can I get you something to drink to start?"

Veronica picked up the menu looking at the list of drink choices. "I'll have a chocolate milkshake, please."

Logan tapped the menu with his fingertips. "I'll have the same, thanks."

Veronica continued looking through the menu trying to decide what she planned to eat. She noticed Logan tapping his fingers on the menu, eyes on her. She glanced over at him briefly, acknowledging him before returning to perusing the menu. "Have you already decided what you're having?" she asked, wondering what he was up to.

He stopped tapping his fingers and splayed his palm out over the menu before leaning toward her and whispering, "Nope, not a clue."

Veronica laid the menu down and turned to Logan. "Then what are you doing?"

He glanced down at her menu and then back up to meet her gaze, a smirk on his face. "I'm waiting for you to narrow your choices." He paused, giving his head a quick tilt, before straightening back up. "See, I've learned that when we go out to eat, it's best to get your second choice. Then we can share."

Veronica blushed with embarrassment. They didn't eat out often, normally choosing to do take out instead, but he was right. When they did eat out, she would often regret her final choice and wish that she'd picked the alternative. As usual, Logan was anticipating what would make her happiest before she even thought about what that would be.

Reaching over, she cupped her palm on his cheek. Giving him a sheepish grin, she stretched up to kiss him. "I guess I don't need to worry so much then. You're taking care of me. Like always." A bright smile broke across his face and he kissed her again before she pulled away and returned to the menu.

* * *

Weevil sat in the church pew beside Felix, waiting for Abuela to finish her prayer.

"Come on man, why you always gotta go there every Sunday?" Felix had been nagging him every weekend about spending time with the 09ers.

"Why do you gotta be this way? It's not like you guys do anything other than cause problems or hang at the shop." Weevil saw his abuela rise from the kneeler and head back toward them. He stood and helped her outside to her car.

"I'm dropping you off at Mr. Mars' house, Eli?" she asked as he opened the car door for her.

"Yes, Ma'am." He shut the door and walked around the back. "I'll see you tonight, man." He bumped fists with Felix and got in the car.

* * *

Over the school year, the group had developed a pretty regular routine every Sunday. Some would come over early and hang out while others went to church with their families, coming over after. The plan for this week was a trip to the San Diego Zoo. Veronica sat on the back porch swing waiting for the last of the group. Logan hadn't arrived yet, nor had Lilly or Weevil. Lizzie had just showed up and was sitting on the old swing set with Cassidy; they were bumping into each other to swing side to side, laughing as they threw each other off balance. Dick and Mac were playing hacky sac in the yard, talking friendly trash about each other's skill levels.

Her dad came outside and sat down beside her. "How ya doin', kiddo?"

"I'm good. Did you get the van for today?" she asked.

"Yup, all set to go. Is everyone here?" he asked as she saw his eyes scan the yard.

"No, we're still missing Logan, Lilly, and Weevil."

Her dad patted her leg. "We have some time yet. Let me know when they get here and we can go." He stood and kissed the top of her head before retreating back into the house. Looking past where her dad had been, Veronica saw Weevil coming around the side of the house. She smiled at him and he raised his hand in greeting.

"Hey, V, I'm not late, am I?"

"Nope, at least you're not the last. We're still waiting on Lilly and Logan." At the mention of Lilly, Veronica remembered her time with her yesterday. "I'm sorry about Lilly. I don't understand her sometimes."

Weevil looked away from her but she could see the sad look on his face. He'd been there for Lilly through her worst time and she wasn't treating him with much respect.

When he turned back towards her, his resolve was back in place. "Yeah, I know. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. She picks these fights and then, out of nowhere, she comes back apologizing."

"Have you spoken to her recently?"

"Not since our last argument a couple of days ago. She wants me to skip my cousin's birthday party for some end of the year party at Casey Gant's." He looked at the ground. "I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to just give in to her and go to the stupid party. The other part of me wants to break it off and be done with these games." He paused, then looked back up at her. "I can't seem to let go."

Veronica felt bad for him. She couldn't argue with anything he said; she agreed with him. She didn't understand Lilly's behavior any more than he did.

"I don't mean to put you in the middle of us. Forget I said anything." He looked defeated.

"Don't worry about it. You didn't." She thought about telling Weevil what she thought of Lilly's behavior but she was torn by loyalty to her best friend. She also didn't want to start any more drama than there already was. Before she could decide what to say, Lilly came around the side of the house, jumped up on the side of the porch, and wrapped her arms around Weevil, covering his eyes with her hands. She gave Veronica a mischievous smile. Weevil reached up and pulled her hands away. When he met Veronica's eyes, she saw the confusion on his face.

Lilly was bubbling with excitement. "Are we ready to play with the animals?" she asked as she sat on Weevil's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I don't know, Lils. Are you?' Veronica played along with Lilly's game. She wanted to give Weevil some time to decide how to react to her.

"Most definitely! What about you, baby?" Lilly turned her attention to Weevil for the first time, but she didn't seem to notice the tension in him. Without answering her, he shifted her off his lap, stood up, and took off into the house. Lilly watched him go with a look of bewilderment on her face, then turned to Veronica. "What the hell?"

Veronica sighed. "Lilly, what are you doing? You broke up with him, giving him an ultimatum, then you walk in here and act like you're still together. How do you expect him to react?"

Lilly frowned. "I was just thinking that I didn't want us to spend the entire day moping around each other, and I figured that if we were going to have any fun today then I needed to be, well...friendly."

"Are you serious, Lils? There's friendly, and then there's _friendly_. Mixed messages like what you just did aren't going to help anything. He really cares about you, Lilly, and you're treating him like shit."

* * *

Weevil walked into the kitchen to find the Sheriff, Duncan, and Meg chatting.

"My sister has created quite the name for us at Neptune High. I'm hoping my reputation stands on its own." Duncan sat on one of the bar stools with Meg standing beside him at the counter.

Sheriff Mars was leaning against the sink facing him. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. Are you sure the two of you don't want to join us today?"

Weevil walked past the Sheriff and sat at the kitchen table. He wasn't a part of the conversation but they didn't seem to mind his intrusion. "We'd love to but my parents want us to have lunch with them at the country club," Meg said, regret in her voice. "We'll definitely come next Sunday. Thanks for inviting us."

Weevil watched as Meg took Duncan's hand, guiding him off the stool. "We'll see you, Mr. Mars," Duncan said, then he turned towards Weevil. "Later, man."

Weevil nodded. He and Duncan weren't buddies, but while he was spending so much time with Lilly, they'd become civil. "Later."

When the back door closed behind them, the Sheriff grabbed two bottles of soda out of the fridge and sat across from Weevil at the table. "From the looks of you, you aren't having a good day. Do ya wanna talk about it?"

Weevil opened the bottle and took a drink. He let out a sigh of defeat before debating how much to tell him. "Lilly is being Lilly again. She hasn't spoken to me in days and then today she climbs up on my lap outside and acts like nothing's wrong." Sheriff Mars didn't speak. He just nodded his head in understanding. Weevil took another drink before continuing.

"I'm supposed to go to a birthday party, a family thing. She wants me to take her to Casey Gant's party. I can't do both. So she broke up with me. She said something about if I really wanted to be with her, I would go where she wanted. She hasn't spoken to me since. Then she shows up here today, acting like we're a happy couple. I just don't know what to do anymore."

Sheriff Mars took a long drink of soda and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Weevil and smiled.

"Son, I wish I knew what to tell you, but even at my age, I'm not very good at understanding why they do some of the things they do. All I can say is, Lilly is only going to get away with what you allow her to. You can't control her; you can only control you." Sheriff Mars finished his soda and set the bottle down on the table. "That goes with every choice in life. You get me, Eli?"

Weevil nodded as he studied the bottle in his hands. He did get it. He needed to do what was right for him, not for anyone else. He was the one who had to live with his choices. He nodded again. "Thanks, sir, that's good advice." He stood up, draining the last of his soda before heading back outside to face everyone.

* * *

As they drove to San Diego, they discussed the hot spots for the day. Mac mapped their route through the zoo to make the best use of their time and ensure they would be able to get to everyone's must-see exhibits. Weevil wanted to see the Reptile House, Cassidy was looking forward to the Outback, and Dick really wanted to explore the Lost Forest. In order to get to everything, they planned to ride the bus between exhibits.

The first stop was the Outback; Cassidy and Lizzie wanted to see the koalas. Once they were done there, they headed over to walk through the Elephant Odyssey. Despite this being Keith's point of interest, there was enough to see that everyone's interest was piqued.

"Look at the capybaras! They're so cute," Lilly fussed over the giant rodents.

"It says here they're very chatty. You'd fit right in with them, Lils," Dick joked as he read the sign.

"It won't be long before you get in touch with your kind too, Dick; you'll be joining them right after lunch," she sassed back.

They finished looking at the elephants and the lions before heading to the Northern Frontier. They enjoyed watching the polar bear cubs play and swim but it was the mountain lion scouting the territory that caught Logan's interest.

"She reminds me of you, Ronnie," he said, nodding to the prowling cat.

How's that now?' she asked curiously but Logan just smiled.

They rode the bus through the Asian Passage looking at the pandas, then heading towards the Lost Forest. They made it part way through before stopping for lunch at the Treetop Cafe.

"Look at this view!" Veronica said, leaning against the railing as she looked out over the zoo.

Logan followed her to the railing and put his arms around her before resting his chin on her head. Keith joined them, his hands gripping the railing. Veronica smiled up at him. "Thanks for today, Pops; we're having so much fun!"

"Me too, kiddo! It's been a great day so far." Keith clapped his hand on Logan's shoulder. "Now, come on, let's go eat."

After lunch, they finished touring he Lost Forest. Lilly continued to tease Dick about being with his own kind amongst the primates until Mac jumped in to tell them all how smart monkeys actually are. They finished their bus tour and walked over to the Reptile House for Weevil. He'd been quiet all day but in his excitement, Logan noticed that he finally seemed to let his guard down and open up to Lilly a little. However, once the trip through the Reptile House was over and the group headed for the gift shop, it was clear that he was back on edge again, keeping as many people between he and Lilly as possible.

At the gift shop, Mac picked out a tee shirt that said 'Well Koalified' for herself and one with a sloth with Wolverine claws on it for Dick. Cassidy helped Lizzie choose a photo album for all the pictures she took of the day. Lilly chose an anaconda plush for Weevil and a pink koala baseball cap for herself. Logan didn't think Weevil would accept the gift but surprisingly, he smiled and wrapped the snake around his neck. Veronica helped Logan decide which of the wooden animal figures to get and she picked out a Tree of Life hat for her dad.

Getting ice cream was the last stop before piling in the van to head back to Neptune.

"I can't believe that next Sunday is our first summer barbeque," Veronica said, taking a bite of her chocolate chip ice cream sandwich.

"It's going to be the best summer ever!" Dick said, putting his arm around her shoulder and grabbing her wrist so he could steal a bite of her ice cream.

"Hey, get your own. This one is mine!" Veronica squealed.

"Please, you know Logan is inside buying you another one for the ride home. The tapeworm can spare one bite." When Veronica laughed, Dick ducked his head and took a quick bite. Logan stood outside of the shop, watching his friends and chuckling to himself at exactly what Dick had suggested would be in his hands: an ice cream cone for himself and another ice cream sandwich, just for Veronica.

The group made their way out the front gate and headed for the van. Veronica and Logan trailed behind as they finished their ice cream and she moved to a trash can to throw away the wrapper.

"Ready for the next one?" he asked, holding out the extra ice cream sandwich. She didn't answer at first and Logan noticed that she was watching their friends. Everyone was chattering excitedly as they got in the van except Lilly and Weevil. They were walking together again, but neither one was speaking. Weevil's face was resigned and Lilly looked confused.

Veronica looked up at him, frowning. "Logan, do you think they are going to be okay?" This wasn't the mood she was supposed to be in after the great day they'd just had. Logan put his arm around her and kissed her head. She looked up at him and smiled. "Everyone else is doing great. They're the only ones I worry about."

Logan kissed the top of her head again, then helped her into the noisy van. As they settled in their seats, he whispered in her ear.

"Ronnie, they're gonna have to figure this out on their own. All we can do is support them. It won't help anyone if you get down about this. Just be happy with everything that is good in our lives."

Veronica nodded. "You know what? You're right. We have so much to be grateful for." She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. "And, from what I can see, neither one of them have given up yet and I've got all summer to make sure that they don't."

Thank You ALL for reading my work and reviewing. You have been Amazing!


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